


Mad Scientist Roster

by DrakeBorn



Series: Assistant to the Mad Scientists [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Culver University, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, JARVIS - Freeform, Mad Scientist Assistant Program, Mad Scientist Roster, SCIENCE!, Stark Tower
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2014-01-19
Packaged: 2018-01-01 23:17:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1049754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrakeBorn/pseuds/DrakeBorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>18 Jan 2014:  Chapter 10 is up.  </p>
<p>Culver University counts Dr. Jane Foster as one of it's Mad Scientists. Jane's not thrilled about it, but won't complain too much. Especially when she gets to keep Darcy as her research assistant.</p>
<p>Bruce now knows the big secret.  Tony and Pepper already know.  And Thor wants an explanation for that.  Plus, Bruce is told how it was discovered.</p>
<p>The Warning for "Explicit for Sexual Content" applies to Chapters 4 & 8.  Chapters 5, 6 & 7 should be considered as having a "Mature" rating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Getting Us All Caught Up!

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters 4 & 8 should be considered "Explicit for Sexual Content." Chapters 5, 6, & 7 should be considered "Mature" for limited sexual content, mature subject matters, and some foul language.

 

Just after Thor left Earth the first time, Darcy proceeded to introduce herself to every jack-booted-thug (JBT) in Puente Antiguo.  Her goal was simple:  Give a face, name, and voice to the protectees to help ensure her and Jane’s safety.  Darcy also earmarked a portion of the new money coming in to purchase the largest Keurig on the market, the insert that allows the water to pass through, and a sizeable selection of specialty coffees, hot chocolates, and teas.  For those who like their coffee blacker than Darcy’s soul, the monster coffee brewer was still up and running every day. 

The new money also allowed Darcy to have a standing daily breakfast order and dinner order from the diner and the sub shop respectfully, spread out on a table for the change of shift check-in/sign-out routine.  Darcy explained these events to Jane as making to play nice.  Barton told Darcy that she was playing it smart. 

Darcy knew each agent assigned to Puente Antiguo.  She knew which agents had families, who had problems at home (even if they could not talk about it for safety reasons), and who was having problems with sleep.  If they could not talk about it, she would not ask those questions.  She would, however, offer coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or a sandwich to which ever agent walked in during their rest cycle in an attempt to ward off sleep.  And if they were not hungry, Darcy had cards.  She and Barton were excellent Spades partners.

Darcy also managed Jane.  Jane was bound and determined to bring her Norse God of a boyfriend, _and how many people could actually make that claim_ , back to Earth.  That driving force, that shear determination of will did not allow Jane to sleep (even more than normal), kept Jane from resting or relaxing properly, and often forced her to neglect or become radically sidetrack by Science! at the oddest, and most inconvenient, moments of times.  And since Jane had barely managed to maintain herself before Thor’s touchdown, the added frenzy was not doing either her mental state or her health any good.  So, reluctantly, Darcy was forced to put her foot down.

Darcy, with Barton’s help, sat Jane down and painfully explained to her that a dead or incapacitated Jane was not a Jane who was going to find Thor.  Then Darcy instigated a drinking policy.  On any random day, the only stipulation was that the day had to end in “y,” either Darcy or Barton, thinking he could be more impartial, could call a halt to Science! so imbibing alcohol could commence.  Jane could invoke the drinking policy too, of course, but good money had it that she never would.

Through all of this activity, Darcy still managed to keep up with Jane’s workload.  That was not the hard part.  With the additional activity and now with SHIELD scrutinizing over every little code going out of or coming into Puente Antiguo via the internet, Darcy was left with less than a friendly environment with which she could practice her hacking skills.  And SHIELD’s noise over what happened when they scanned her iPod for wormhole information had quickly become the bane of her existence. 

 

When Loki took out the complex that Erik and Barton had been transferred to, Darcy ordered more food for her agents.  She knew many would be relocated to help with search and rescue efforts.  Jane and Darcy ended up being shifted to a more secure location; Darcy wasn’t a fool.Before they left, Darcy lit a candle for every agent she knew with certainty would not be returning.  Then she lit one for all those who fell that she did not know personally.  And another for all of those running into the fray that she could not be sure would ever return.

 

After the _Battle of New York_ , Jane and Darcy returned to the states.  Jane was hurt when Thor sent no word to her.  Jane, Erik, and Darcy would leave for England a couple months later.  But the delay was enough time for Darcy to locate Barton.  Where she found him, she would never tell.  _Classified, bitches!_

Darcy had made some school excuse to Jane and Erik about having to take off for 10 days to go to the university to straighten something out.  Darcy knew that neither scientist would check with the Culver anyway, but still.  Once out of sight of Science!, Darcy managed to affectively disappear at an airport.   _Because hacker, hello!_   With SHIELD off her back, Darcy took her time first getting lost in a big city, than skirted outward in a big circle with a 100 mile radius, than crashed at a random hotel using one of her fake identities, _hacker remember_ , while her “Darcy Lewis” identity checked-in somewhere else in the country, not too far from the airport where she went off radar. 

The following morning, Darcy purchased a used motorcycle for cash and was at Clint’s safe house within an hour.  Agent Romanoff was less than pleased to be opening the door to the intern.  Of course, Darcy was also less than pleased to have the door open to reveal Agent Romanoff’s gun pointed at her. 

A week later, Darcy left feeling marginally better about Clint and blisteringly mad at SHIELD as an institution.  Oh, she did not blame the JBTs, the low level ground pounders.  No, she was thoroughly pissed off at the policy makers, the higher ups.

Darcy stashed her new toy somewhere safe.  The bike’s registration, etc. would be sent to her drop box.  Then she took a cab to the airport.  At an appointed time, Darcy popped back up onto SHIELD’s radar and proceeded home.  Once she got there, all hell broke loose.

Jane had decided to go with Erik to England.  _Was Darcy even allowed back into England?_   Regardless, a trip to England with Jane was an excellent excuse to not answer questions the new JBT in-charge seemed to want to level at Darcy.

 

After Thor’s return to Earth, again, SHIELD and the Avenger’s Initiative were contacted.  Arrangements were made for Thor, Jane, and Darcy to relocate Jane’s work to Stark Tower.  Erik and Ian would continue Erik’s work in England.  A prestigious university there was offering to throw money at the both of them, so that decision was easy.  Darcy left England before Jane and Thor to begin packing up Jane’s old lab in New Mexico so the equipment could be transported to New York City.

While Darcy was packing up in New Mexico, Jane and Thor found themselves distracted by Science!, amongst other activities, and stayed in England for a few additional weeks.  This turned out to be quite a blessing for Darcy.  She was able, with the help of SHIELD’s five able body agents, aka The Muscle, to inventory, pack, load, transport, unload, unpack and setup, and run diagnostics and perform maintenance without the interference of Science!

Within 12 hours of arriving at The Tower, Darcy and Barton managed to touch base with each other through some random events.  Though Clint was doing better, Darcy could still feel the waves of anxiety and darkness radiating from her friend.  The reunion was short lived as Clint was shipped out two days later.

Darcy also finagled most of her transport team, Marco opted out, into staying on as the lab’s own security detail.  If asked, Darcy’s excuse was that she truly hated breaking in new people.  To date, SHIELD has no record of allotting Jane’s lab SHIELD personnel for a security detail, but none of the supervisors were arguing with Darcy.  Darcy, meanwhile, was dutifully working out the logistics to ensure each member of the detail maintained their quarterly, semiannual, and annual qualifications and proficiency ratings. 

Two days before Jane and Thor were expected to arrive in New York and 12 hours after Darcy finished the rest of the repairs on Jane’s hodge-podge equipment, Tony Stark showed up with shiny new toys.  The only downside to this occasion; not all of the shiny toys were to go to Jane.  The big, huge, jump up and down with excitement-side to the extra equipment was who their lab cohort was to be, Dr. Bruce Banner.  The next afternoon, Jane’s England equipment was delivered.

When Jane and Thor finally arrived at The Tower, Jane announced Science! and got to work in her lab, sort of.  _Boxes!_   After spending several hours ensuring that her precious New Mexico equipment was in working order, as Darcy knew she would, Thor met Darcy at the 66th Floor’s elevator.  She escorted the Asgardian to where Jane was attempting to setup and diagnose more equipment.  Thor picked Jane up and returned to the elevator.

“Thor, I’ll get the whole badge/smartphone thingy worked out for you so that you have access to this floor without the need of an escort, tomorrow.”  Neither Thor nor Darcy paid any attention to Jane’s protests.  “No one believed me when a told them that you would need your credentials _this_ evening.”

“I spoke with Stark during dinner.  He did seem surprised that your insistence was not given more credence.”  Thor was always good for the soul.

“Only Boss Lady stands between me getting the paperwork processed first thing in the morning or processed after lunch,” As the trio reached the elevator, Jarvis opened the doors without prompting, Darcy reflected on her knowledge of which buttons to push with Thor.

The Asgardian nodded his head in understanding, “I will see to it that Jane stays out of the lab, and therefore within my reach, until late morning.”  After entering the elevator car, Thor turned around wearing a new expression.

“I just bet you will.”  Darcy was enjoying the smirk on Thor’s face.

As the doors of the elevator closed, Darcy could still hear Jane’s protest, “But Science!”


	2. Night Time in The Tower

 

Two days later, Darcy and Jane were still unpacking boxes, though most delays were beginning to be attributed to Thor by default.

 

“Any word from Barton?” Jane asked breaking the silence.

Darcy stopped and looked at Jane.  “Barton’s on assignment, Jane.  You know that,” was Darcy’s response to Jane’s question.  Darcy began to slowly move back to what she was doing; reaching to unpack the new bright, shiny toys courteous of Tony.

“Yeah, but he usually sends you something; phone chatter, text message.  He even emails.”  Darcy did not like where Jane’s stream of consciences was going.

“Jane, you don’t do coy very well.  Spill.  What concern is going through your brain that will end up interfering with Science!?”

Darcy kept unpacking boxes as she heard Jane take a deep breath, “Well, we haven’t seen Barton since before England,” Jane’s expression was meant to be playful, Darcy could tell, “and I figured you were missing him and maybe getting a little antsy.”  Oh, yeah.  Jane did not do coy well at all.

Darcy’s expression grew dark.  “You missed seeing Barton by two and a half weeks, Jane.  He was here, at The Tower when I arrived with your equipment.  He was sent out on whatever mission to whatever location a couple days later, but I have seen him,” Darcy’s voice was growing low and heavy with sadness over her friend’s experience.  “And even before that, we’ve talked since the New York thing,” Darcy clarified.  The fact that she was still in contact with the archer, even after he left the states, was not common knowledge.  “He was not in a good place mentally.  And he was not getting any help within SHIELD, outside of the Avengers.”  Darcy kept unpacking boxes.  Darcy had been downright pissed off about Clint’s situation and his forced convalescence away from his friends. 

Darcy paused in her unpacking and took a calming breath.  She had received an email from Clint just that day.  He was alive and actually getting help.  He hadn’t thought the doctor, PhD not MD, knew exactly how to help him, but was, in his words, “Helping me develop the skill set required to deal with the aftermath myself,” whatever that was supposed to mean exactly.  Darcy would think on it tonight and write Clint an email in the morning.

“Yes Jane, I miss my friend.”  _Wait did Jane say antsy?_ “Jane,” Darcy turned to look at Jane, “What do you mean by ‘getting antsy?’”

 _Busted_ was the only word for the expression written all over Jane’s face.  “I just remember you two being _friendly_ ,” Jane began, but she ducted her head to escape Darcy’s stare, “Just wondering if you were looking to fill the void?” 

Darcy’s eyes went wide with surprise.  “Oh.  My.  God!  Jane, what have you done?”  _Void?_   “And what void, exactly, did Barton leave open?”

“I don’t mean to alarm you,” Jane was still not making eye contact as she began, “But there’s a pool,” Darcy’s jaw dropped at Jane’s words. “Involving that group of agents you commandeered to help set up the lab.”  Jane, finally, turned to look at Darcy.  The expression Jane was wearing told Darcy that the scientist did not know what to think about the whole scenario.

Darcy took a minute to process the information she just received.  Faced with this bit of confusion, Darcy face palmed and started shaking her head in disbelief.  “Holy shit.  Really?!”  Now with both hands covering her face like she was trying to hide from the reality that had just intruded on her world.  “How is _this,_ my life?  The agents, really?  Seriously, doesn’t anyone having _anything_ better to do?  Fuck me!”  Darcy got up and just started walking around the room until her feet figured out a good pacing route through the many towers of recently delivered boxes.

Jane just watched her friend for a moment before asking, “Is now a good time for a lunch break?”

“Dinner.”

“What?”  Jane responded.

“Now is an excellent time for a dinner break,” Darcy clarified.  She had stopped pacing and walked to the pile of coats and bags.  “And just for coming up with food as a solution, we’re going for your favorite tonight,” Darcy grinned as if saying “thank you” to Jane. 

“Yay, pizza!”  Darcy kept her grimacing to herself as she watched Jane take her coat and purse and began hopping, literally hopping, toward the door.  _Yeah, pizza was worth seeing a happy Jane,_ thought Darcy.

 

After the duo had eaten and Darcy had released the angst over the fact that The Tower was holding a betting pool over which agent Darcy would take to bed, _as if_ , and the two friends were back up on their secured floor where Jane’s lab was located.  Jane’s lab area shared The Tower’s 66th floor with Doctor Banner’s lab area.  The whole 66th floor was some sort of open-concept lab space.  Key cards and a voice match were the only way onto the floor itself.  The only rooms, like the one Darcy commandeered for her cot, were for storage or were locker rooms; because, yes, those rooms even had showers and lockers.

Darcy had already done some decorating and arranged a break area in one corner.  Though she had not yet met D. Banner, Darcy was hoping that he would not mind her purposing some space for a couch or three, big flat-screen TV, and multiple mini-fridges.  She had figured on the fact that each one of the couches seconded as a rather comfy bed as a selling point to keeping them.

 

As it was nighttime, _‘cause Darcy was right – it had been dinner time_ , most of the floor’s lighting was off.  And as there were many piles of boxes, not all of which belonged to the astrophysics portion of the lab, it was difficult, impossible really, for the two exhausted women to know that they were not, in fact, alone on the floor.  Dr. Bruce Banner had avoided being spotted as he arrived onto the floor with his own cot, stash of food, and coffee pot.

It had not taken Bruce long to set up his cot, find a table and outlet for his coffee pot – a brand new one that ran on 110 (his old one, that he missed, ran on 220), and heat up water for his cup of soup and tea – because coffee pots could multipurpose.  Bruce had managed to settle himself down quite nicely and relax with the belief that he had the whole lab floor to himself.

 

As she and Jane sat down on two of those comfy couches, or laid down in Jane’s case, Darcy remembered her other question, “Void?”

With that, Jane was back to not looking at Darcy.  “Oh, you know, _you_ and Barton.”

Darcy sat perfectly still holding her latte, blinking at Jane.  “Jane,” she began slowly, “Listen to me very carefully,” _pause for affect_ , “there is not now, nor has there ever been a, _me and Barton_.”

“Hun?”  Jane sat up.  It was Jane’s turn to stare in disbelief at the words coming out of her friend’s mouth.  “Whatever happened to ‘ _gotta get me some of that_ ’?”

Darcy’s eyebrows made for her hairline.  _Oh yeah, that night.  I never told her how that ended, or didn’t end_.  “We got too drunk to do anything about it,” Darcy admitted to her friend and boss by technicality. 

 

Bruce had initially frozen in place.  He had to pick through his memory of conversations with Tony about the lab setup to remember that _yes, there was another physicist assigned to this floor_.  Tony was hoping that Bruce would benefit from some company and had asked Bruce to give the setup a chance before subjecting himself to more loneliness by deciding a solo lab/floor would be best.  And Tony being Tony, he had not given Bruce a chance to object.

Now sitting on the floor behind a stack of boxes for better hearing, Bruce was wondering about Tony’s definition of _company_.  The two young women were a little chatty.  _Wasn’t one of them supposed to be Dr. Foster?  The very serious astrophysicist bound and determined to circumvent space flight with wormholes? And wasn’t she Thor’s paramour, or was it the other way around?_  

“Get out of here!  Seriously, too drunk to ‘ _hit that_ ’?”  The disbelief in Jane’s voice carried to Bruce’s ears.

“Oh my God, yes!”  Darcy was back on her feet.  “Jane, seriously, have you been thinking this whole time that Barton and I were sleeping together?”

Jane took a moment to answer, “Yes.”

Darcy landed on the couch with a plop.  “Well, that explains a lot.”

The two women sat in silence for a moment before Darcy spoke again, “Clint and I are just friends.”  The statement was matter of fact but, that was the first time Bruce had heard the archer being referred to as Clint and not as Barton.  Darcy continued, “We’re very good friends.  But there is no friends-with-benefits action going on.”

“Liar,” Jane barked out.  “You’re trying to tell me that you, Darcy Lewis of the _It’s all About the Arms_ belief, did not once enjoy the warm bed of one Clinton Barton?”

Darcy took a moment, presumably to word her response correctly, “We have slept on each other’s couch.  We both even shared someone’s futon once.  But-”

Jane broke in with an ear splitting, “Hah!”

Darcy held Jane’s stare, “Not once have I ever partaken in the glory that is Clint’s body.”

Objectively, Bruce had to agree that Barton took very good care of himself and was quite diligent in his workout program.  But, if a guy (read: Bruce) were to ever develop an inferiority complex, now would be the time.  _Glory!?_   Bruce would have to wash his brain out with soap in the morning from the direction this conversation was going.

“Darcy, what happened?  I mean, he was right there.  How did you not make the turn that would take you on that ride?”  _From bad to worse_.

Darcy’s voice was full of disbelief, “Jane?  Did you just say that?”  Bruce took note that Darcy’s voice also went up an octave.

“Yeah, Thor’s _my_ type.  Remember?”  So, Dr. Foster had a type, big and burly.  How did Bruce ever sink so low that he was taking notes on girl-talk _; probably with Tony’s help?_   Yeah, Bruce would, from now on, blame this level of snooping completely on Tony.

“Okay, hunky and intelligent; a rare combination indeed.”  Bruce could hear the approval in Darcy’s voice.  Few knew the full scope of Thor’s intelligence.  Bruce had learned.  Apparently, Darcy had too. 

“Don’t get me wrong,” Darcy’s voice leveled, “I enjoy Barton’s assets and he knows it.”  _And the torture continues_.  “And he’s got depth.  Don’t ever think otherwise.  But he’s just _not_ my type.”  Bruce was now ready to lay money on Darcy’s type being Steve Rogers.  Because if Clint was the complete package in Darcy’s estimations, then, even Bruce would agree, Captain America was more so.

Jane apparently was not buying what Darcy was selling, “Okay Darcy, if Barton’s not your type, who is?”

“Ah, yeah, about that,” Darcy spoke in a much quieter voice now.  She almost seemed nervous about answering.  So far, Darcy has been quiet brazen in Bruce’s assessment.  What was to come next must be a private admission.  Suddenly, Bruce felt like an intruder.  He wondered if he could back out of his position as quietly as he moved into it.  As Bruce began to move his legs, he felt his circulation pick up again.  _Dammit_ , his legs would not be able to stay quiet if he moved now.

A long moment stretched out.  Jane waited patiently for her friend to answer.  Bruce began hearing a repetitive tapping sound.  _Had Darcy started tapping her foot on the floor?_

“D’you remember that Culver University Mad Scientist Roster?”  Darcy’s voice was high again.  Her nervousness was showing. 

If Bruce was admitting anything tonight, it would be that he took Darcy’s nervous habits as articles of sweetness that should be preserved perfectly in memory so he could wrap himself up in their warmth during his darker moments.   _Oh, if you could smile for me_ , he thought in a moment of weakness.

Jane drew out, “Yes.”

“There are a lot of interesting characters on that roster.”  Bruce realized with gulp what list Darcy was talking about.  The infamous Culver University Mad Scientist Roster was legend even while he was attending the school as a student.  There were rules and requirements governing who made the list of course.  At least one Ph. D. was required.  Also, a published paper and a lab accident were requisites.  There were a few other criteria but Bruce was beyond remembering the specifics as a wave of nausea swept over him.  Bruce recalled his own lab accident, the incident that had landed him and The Other Guy on the list.

“Darcy,” Jane began, “I’m on that list.”  That was news to Bruce.

“Jane,” Darcy paused, smile showing through her voice now, “You’re _also,_ not my type.”

“Oh, good.  I thought it was about to get weird here.”  _Jane didn’t know from weird_.  Then Bruce reconsidered.  He’d let her definition stand.

Bruce heard a distant alarm announcing the elevator sound.  He would have to move now.  With the way his luck was going, Bruce was about to be discovered if he didn’t get back to his cot and fake being asleep.  Bruce rolled to his knees and tried to quietly make his way back to his cot.  Thankfully, Jane and Darcy were covering Bruce’s small noise with their own rustling, getting up to see who was arriving.  Bruce had only just made it to the relative safety of his cot when he heard a male voice meet the women.  Bruce smoothly slid under his covers, closed his eyes, and concentrated on slowing his heartbeat and breathing to reflect his guise of sleep. 

Footsteps traveled toward his location, one a bit quicker than the others.  “Are you sure he’s here?  We haven’t seen or heard him,” Darcy was out in front moving unalarmed but with a purpose. 

“Yes,” Tony, “Jarvis alerted me when he arrived earlier.  When I went to his room to see if he needed anything, he wasn’t there.”  _Good old Tony.  Wait.  Room?  What room?_   “I asked Jarvis to locate the good Doctor for me, and he said Bruce was here.”  Bruce concentrated on his breathing posture.

A set of feet paused a good twenty feet away from Bruce.  He could feel eyes resting on him for just a moment before turning away and moving back toward the other two. 

“He’s sleeping.”  Darcy relayed in a hushed tone to Tony and Jane, halting their progress.  Bruce felt somewhat protected her words.

“He has a whole suite upstairs,” Tony began raising his voice just a tad bit.

“He seemed to be at peace.  Let him sleep Tony.”  Darcy’s voice was still hushed, but it was an order.  Bruce couldn’t help but smile.

“Darcy, the whole point of him moving in here…” Tony began but was cut off.

“Can wait until morning.  The man is resting now.”  Darcy’s voice had taken on a darker undertone now.  “Move, Tony.”

“This is how she gets you to eat, isn’t it?”  Tony asked of Jane.

“And it’s best not to argue,” Jane stated matter of factly, her voice now moving in the direction of the elevator.

“Eat and bathe and give me data so I can write reports, and” Darcy’s voice was beginning to move off and Bruce had to strain into The Other Guy’s territory to follow it to the elevator, “not argue about diagnostic runs.”  The elevator doors opened.  Bruce did not want Darcy to leave, but he had _played dead_ too well.  “And where’s my new tablet Stark,” was the last thing Bruce heard Darcy say when she got onto the elevator before the doors closed. 

Bruce continued to lie perfectly still on his cot covered up by his blanket.  He had no reason to move.  But he opened his eyes anyway.  Now, Bruce had the entire floor to himself.  And his insides felt empty without Darcy’s voice.  In the back of his mind, Bruce felt The Other Guy sulk.  _Crap_.

 

The next morning the light encroaching into the lab woke Bruce.  He was reluctant to move.  Bruce had managed to find sleep last night.  Somehow the cold had penetrated the lab.  Bruce remembered curling up tight as the plummeting temperature intruded into Bruce’s bubble of personal space.  He remembered thinking how deceptive his blanket was, how it was not keeping up it’s end of the bargain.  But, Bruce had managed to fall asleep in the cold anyway.  So, how was he warm now?  And, not just that, Bruce had uncurled.  More than that, his muscles had relaxed.  So, he had been warm for a while.  Bruce slowly pulled the blankets down, allowing him to sit up. 

Coffee.  Bruce smelled coffee and bacon and pancakes with maple syrup.  Bruce sat up slowly.  And once accomplished began taking in certain changes to his claimed area.  Most noticeably was the additional blanket, a quilt made of various red and purple materials.  Next was the space heater; though located far enough away not to have to worry about it starting a fire, it was aimed to blow right under his cot.  Then Bruce noticed an area rug sprawled out between his cot and foldout table and chair.  On the table was the coffee and food he had smelled.

As hungry as Bruce was, he had no desire to leave the warmth.  So, Bruce sat there.  He readjusted the blanket, raising it above his shoulders and pulling it tight, but he would not budge any more than that.  The blanket had been a comfort.  Bruce did not want to hope that it had been a gift from _her_.  The Other Guy was just of that opinion too.  It took another moment of wakefulness to realize that there were voices on his floor.  And by the time he realized this, someone was heading in his direction.

 

Darcy stopped at the edge of the area rug and waited.  She had not wanted to intrude any more than was necessary.  The man’s space had been treaded on enough.

When Darcy left last night, she was only half certain that Dr. Banner was not sleeping, but she had allowed him to keep his reasons for feigning sleep to himself.  After about an hour, Darcy had come back.  This time his erratic snoring was enough to reassure her that Dr. Banner was, in fact, asleep.  The quilt and space heater Darcy took from her own cot area.  The area rug was less of a thing, but Darcy did not like waking up to a cold floor.  The table and chair she had placed nearby so that they were in easy reach for this morning when she brought breakfast up.  Darcy did not know how Dr. Banner liked his eggs, yet.  But pancakes and bacon rarely left a bad impression. 

What Darcy had not been prepared for was the expression on Dr. Banner’s face.  It was one of gratitude and of heart crushing tenderness.  _Yeah, saying he’d been mishandled – so doesn’t cover the injustice_.

Darcy had to do something before the awkwardness reached critical mass.  “Hi yah Dr. Banner.  Welcome to Darcy Lewis’s House of Mass Insanity.  Door passes are required as is a love for bacon.”  Darcy saw Dr. Banner blink several times as if he was not quite certain he had landed in reality or was still dreaming.  Anyway, since the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, Darcy picked up the plate and coffee mug and delivered them both to Dr. Banner.

“Voila, breakfast in bed.”

The Doc accepted both plate and mug but just kind of stared at them for a moment before he looked up at Darcy and began blinking.  And with only the blinking to go on, Darcy managed to understand.  Darcy moved the folding chair to within easy reach of the Doc’s cot, easy enough and low enough to place his coffee mug on it so he could manage his plate and utensils using both hands.  Darcy went back for a second folding chair and placed it a couple feet from Doc’s cot and sat down on it.  A small smile crept across Banner’s face as he began to eat.

“Did you find the bathroom alright last night?”  Darcy started with the necessities.  “Tony’s worried about you.  Apparently, he had wanted a little _Science Bro!_ time or something.”  _Yay, Tony could be important when he wasn’t being an ass_. 

Doc jerked his head up, “Science Bro?”

“Yeah, one of the agents tossed the phrase out one day.  Tony picked it up, dusted it off, and ran with it.  I think he even had t-shirts made.”  Darcy was so over the topic of Science Bros.  If she could go back in time and tape Marco’s damn mouth shut, Darcy so would.

Darcy’s phone started vibrating to get her attention.  “Speaking of Tony,” the man had been texting her at irregular intervals just to keep up annoyances in an attempt to force Darcy to wake Dr. Banner before he could wake up on his own.  Darcy was hearing none of it.  She had gone so far as banning Tony from the floor.  Darcy even persuaded Jarvis to join forces with her in allowing Dr. Banner to awaken on his own since that had to be better than startling the man awake and possibly disturbing the Hulk.  Jarvis like his circuits the way they were – in one piece – enough to back Darcy’s decision when an enthusiastic Tony attempted to gain access to the lab.  Jarvis put the elevator on lockdown when it stopped on the 66th floor with Tony inside clamoring for his friend.

Dr. Banner’s eyebrows rose as if waiting for Darcy to finish speaking.  So, she continued, “He’s been a particular shade of _ass_ this morning.  I think he wants to set up a play date with you at your earliest convenience.”  Though Darcy had very few boundaries, one that was never, ever crossed was messing with _her_ scientists.  “Speaking of conveniences Dr. B., you and I need to have a brief conversation about how the lab is run, specifically paperwork, budgeting, and the like.”  Dr. Banner’s eyes got wide; Darcy thought the look was _so cute_.  “Don’t worry, I can keep that meeting under 10 minutes, if necessary, as long as you don’t interrupt me and agree to do what I say on certain subjects.”  Darcy smiled nice and big and coy for the good doctor.

“What, hun?” was all Dr. Banner could get out of his mouth.

“Relax Dr. B., I don’t interfere with Science!  I just file reports, manage expenditures, keep the fridge stocked, and, as required, keep the super-sciency-scientists from falling down the rabbit hole and going over to the dark side.”

 

Bruce watched as Darcy tapped into the smart phone.  He hated those things; minicomputers with tracking software.  Bruce saw Darcy’s brief glance up, she must have recognized the look he was wearing, “Tony has a Starkphone already setup for you.  And for better or worse, it’s your all-access-pass throughout The Tower.  If you bring it to me before close of business I’ll install a button to allow you to disable _any and all_ of the tracking features.  Even the ones Tony doesn’t know I know about.”  Darcy looked up at Bruce then and locked eyes with him, “On one condition,” she paused for affect, “you don’t tell Tony, _ever!_ ”  With that, Darcy looked down at her phone again.

Bruce just stared at her.  Who was she and why was she being so nice to him?  “Why?”

“Why, what?”

“Why would you do something like that for me?”

Darcy shrugged, “Everyone deserves privacy.”  She paused, “Sometime, you’ve gotta ask to read the paper I wrote on privacy and how a lack of it can actually be a detriment to good health.”  A buzzer went off behind Darcy.  “And he’s here.”  Darcy had not even turned to check that it was, in fact, Tony that had arrived via the elevator.  But she was right.

Bruce _had_ been eating from the plate in front of him.  Okay, nibbling really, but the food was good and he had wanted to enjoy it for as long as he could.  Darcy looked down at Bruce’s plate, “You best finish that quick.  Once he’s got you, he’s not gonna let go until well into the late afternoon.”  Darcy was talking with her hands now too.  “Foods,” She said it like she was remembering something, “What kinds of food do you like?  The bacon was a guess.  But I need ideas or you’ll be stuck with my choices and that’s _not_ the way to get you to eat.”

Tony approached rapidly.  “Bruce!”  Tony’s wave was enthusiastic to say the least.  _What had he gotten himself into?_  

“You,” Tony pointed to Darcy, “Stick in the mud,” Darcy stuck her tongue out at Tony as he continued, “He’s mine now and you can’t stop me!” 

Bruce could eat fast, but there had been a lot of food on the plate and he was only half done.  Darcy had apparently seen this because she was on her feet and standing between him and Tony with her arms crossed over her chest, “Call me _stick in the mud_ again Tony, and you can watch me put my sweater back on.”

Tony feigned shock, “Hah, you’d forbid me from ogling the goodies.  No fair Lewis.  I called dibs.”  Bruce paused at this, but only for a moment.  “We had an agreement:  I keep you in shiny, new toys.  You leave off the bulky sweaters and run around in tank tops unless there’s a draft in here.”  _Okay, that dark side Darcy had mentioned is looking more and more tempting_.

“That’s before I knew you were going to be stooping so low as _name calling_ ,” at that Darcy began poking Tony in the stomach.

“Ah, physical assault.  You’re attacking me.  She’s attacking me!”  After a couple more pokes, Tony began swatting at Darcy’s hands which devolved quickly into fake-swat fighting between the two of them.  Thankfully, Bruce had managed to finish the rest of his food.  _Damn, that was good._   Even semi-regular visits to The Tower hadn’t left Bruce feeling so satisfied.  The food had been tasty.  Bruce wondered what he would have to do for a repeat.  After Bruce put his socks and shoes on he picked up his coffee cup and stood.

The two stopped immediately.  “So, Dr. B., that meeting I mentioned, I need to know when I can schedule it so I can get all concerned parties in on it.  I need your input.”  Darcy had not taken her eyes, or smile, off of Tony.  She was giving Bruce _an out_ for this afternoon’s _following Tony around on his tower tour_ escapade. 

“Is this something that can be done over lunch?” _any excuse to eat_ Bruce thought.  When Tony ate was anyone’s guess.

Darcy turned to Bruce, her smile turned genuine, “Absolutely, any requests?”

“Edible,” Tony threw out as he breezed past Darcy and took Bruce’s arm, wrenching possession of Bruce, or so it felt, from Darcy.  And with that, Tony whisked Bruce away to the elevator. 

Once on the elevator, Tony release Bruce’s arm and turned to him, “What did she do, feed you?”  Tony squinted his eyes at Bruce like he was examining his friend, “Oh, she did, didn’t she?  She doesn’t play fair.”  Tony turned back around.  “And that meeting, don’t blow it off.  She gets pissy when she’s put out.  And she fights dirty.”

Bruce couldn’t help but snicker, “I saw.”

Tony turned back to Bruce, “Oh, no.  That was in good fun.  That was just me making sure she and I are still on good terms.”  Tony shook his head once before schooling himself, “When that little Spit Fire gets pissed off, stand back so the fallout doesn’t land on you.”  Tony took a deep breath, “That bit’s unfair.  Darcy’s good enough at what she does that the _fallout_ doesn’t overflow onto anyone but those who deserve it.  If you want to get her into a good mood, ask her how she got her iPod back from SHIELD.”


	3. The Scent of Chemistry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is it about Darcy Lewis that Dr. Banner cannot help but notice no matter what he is attempting to accomplish? Whatever it is has his impulse control stretched to the breaking point.

There are times when Bruce believed the Other Guy is more invested in Miss Lewis than he was.  In the early days of his scientific exploits, Bruce learned a type of focus most monks would envy.  The world would fall away.  External consideration ceased to matter.  Food, water, and sleep; these necessities to function barely pulled him away from his work.  Some would have even considered it a religious state.  The Other Guy hated it.

In recent years, Bruce managed to stay out of a cage by remaining constantly cognitive of his surroundings.  But now, working at The Tower should have afforded Bruce the luxury of slipping back into that state.  That level of involvement with Bruce’s work was apparently not on the Other Guy’s agenda.  Every time Bruce’s attention was focused for too long on the data in front of him, he would painfully become aware of Miss Lewis.  She could be sitting at her desk typing away on her computer, chatting too comfortably with the agents stationed near the elevator, video conferencing, ordering supplies on the phone, or bringing Bruce a cup of coffee or tea (too much coffee made both Bruce and the Other Guy cranky) and the awareness of her would hit Bruce like the Other Guy hits a wall, hard and unstoppable. 

When pressed (and not too many would, _Tony!_ ) Bruce would not deny (read: would just remain silent on the subject) having developed a crush on Miss Lewis when he first moved into The Tower.  She had been exceptionally nice to him.  She was courteous but not intrusively helpful.  As much as she was in your face about most things, she was respectful of Bruce’s boundaries.  (Well, not all his boundaries, but the most necessary ones.)  She made the whole lab floor comfortable and homey without being smothered by the effect.  And when she wanted his attention, Miss Lewis would sit just within Bruce’s personal space without talking or interrupting until Bruce turned his attention to her.  _30 seconds, tops!_

Miss Lewis had cordoned off several areas of the sizeable lab space for different purposes.  Directly in front of the elevator was the security station.  Even though the floor was secure and access was limited (she had not been kidding around when Darcy told him his first day that the smartphone Tony gifted him with was Bruce’s access badge), the SHIELD security detail took protection of the floor very seriously.  Farther into the lab was the break area that was set up with three big comfy couches (Miss Lewis had been very pleased with herself over procuring), several mini-fridges, a coffee table with storage drawers, and a nice big flat screen HDTV.  Next to that area was a small but fully functional kitchen that opened up to the rest of the floor.  There were also two areas setup for hardcopy information storage, one for Dr. Foster and one for Bruce. 

There was a second break area.  This area consisted of just one couch, two small ottomans, an end table, and one mini-fridge.  Miss Lewis picked the best possible view of the New York City skyline as seen from the 66th floor and arranged the furniture for relaxing while taking in the sight.  When either Dr. Foster’s or Bruce’s work was not panning out, it became Miss Lewis’s habit to lead whichever of the two of them over to this observation area.  She would use arm-wrangling force with Dr. Foster, but gently tactile pressure with Bruce. This vista allowed for the best possible distraction and thought untanglement Bruce had even experienced.  And it had a similar effect on Dr. Foster.

Miss Lewis did not handle Jane the same way that she handled Bruce.  But it was handling.  Miss Lewis was incredibly in your face with Dr. Foster.  (By way of compartmentalizing, Jane was Darcy’s best friend, _slip_ , Dr. Foster was her scientist-boss.)  Miss Lewis was abrasive, bold, and without give when it came to her handling of Dr. Foster.  But, Bruce observed, _because he was a scientist_ , that this technique was necessary for Jane to maintain her health, her sanity, and her home life (aka Thor).  It took Bruce less than a week to conclude that though her techniques for the two polar opposite personality-type scientists were different, Miss Lewis obtained the same results, productivity.

Bruce’s heart broke a little bit on that day.  So, Bruce resigned himself to placing his full commitment back into science, though the lab workers, SHIELD personnel as well, would correct him by saying “Science!”  But even Bruce’s resolve could not keep his awareness of Darcy from intruding on his consciousness. 

Her scent was the worst.  Apparently Miss Lewis opted for using personal hygiene products with as few scents as possible.  Without a masking scent, the smell of her blood, her particular chemistry called to him.  Bruce was constantly fighting urges to touch her, her wrist, her neck, or her lips.  There were times when his fingers got twitchy with the impulse.  Some days were worse than others depending on the amount of coffee she drank, or did not drink.  The more coffee Miss Lewis consumed, the less affect her blood had on Bruce’s impulse control.  But no amount of coffee fully negated his awareness of her.

Another side effect of Miss Lewis’s scent was that Bruce was painfully aware of every chemical change in Darcy’s body.  He knew the day before she began her menstrual cycle.  Thankfully, Bruce’s arrival at The Tower timed just a few days before that occurrence and not with her ovulation cycle. 

For the first day and a half of Darcy’s menstrual cycle, the Other Guy drove Bruce’s control to the brink.  But, the Other Guy was not attempting to break loose.  No, he was trying to get Bruce to claim her.  The impulse to kiss the young brunette with wild, wavy hair had driven Bruce into the locker room for a cold shower.  Other thoughts, like telling the SHIELD agents to back off and to maintain their distance from her caused the Other Guy to growl when Bruce did not comply. 

When Miss Lewis’s hormones leveled out, so did Bruce’s behavior much to his relief.  But nothing relieved the pressure of his impulses better than the sound of her voice.  Because somehow, listening to Darcy, _dammit, slipped again_ , talk about any random topic of chit-chat gave Bruce’s mind something else to focus on.  The fact that Miss Lewis could continue working on her computer while committing these random acts of chit-chat should have told Bruce something.  But what, he was not sure.  And, in the course of these rantings, if he so happened to sit positioned as to signal with his body language that this was a closed conversation and intruders would not be welcomed, so be it.

Bruce was not sure if Miss Lewis noticed his behavior, but he really hoped that she had not.  Her body language gave away very few inclinations of objecting regardless. 

 

Knowledge of when Miss Lewis menstrual cycle would begin allowed Bruce to predict her ovulation cycle down to a range of just a few days.  And that gave Bruce a chance to plan. 

He had decided to be absent that week, or at least most of that week.  It took some searching but Bruce managed a plan for the first couple of days.  Several of the local universities were holding public lectures that same week.  One or two of the more fascinating lectures not open to the public would not be difficult to crash.  _Pick a reason, Mad Scientist, Avenger, or Tony’s bankroll_.  Bruce had not completely ruled out a trip to a museum, but he would need to find something low key.  _Loki.  Way off subject_.  No matter how much control Tony thinks Bruce has developed over the past decade plus of running, crowds would always make him nervous.  And a nervous Bruce Banner was not a good thing.

No matter how hard Darcy worked on, manipulated, haggled, or threatened Doctors Foster and Banner, the whole floor seemed to end up working at least part of the weekend.  _Something about an ongoing experiment, Jane_.  This would give Bruce an excellent excuse to take a few odd days off.  Bruce let Miss Lewis know a week in advance that he was taking some personal time.  She applauded him for branching out outside of the lab.  And if Miss Lewis spoke a little too loudly about wishing someone else would do likewise, well Bruce just smiled warmly.

In the days running up to his time off, Bruce crunched some numbers, sorted some facts, and drew some conclusions.  Neither Jane nor Pepper had this effect on Bruce.  None of the women in the building, single or attached, had this kind of effect on him.  _Yep, I’m a_ _Scientist!_   It was Darcy alone.  Her unique scent had Bruce in a tailspin.

 

 

***

On Bruce’s first day off his plans went slightly awry.  Who knew _Theories of Genetic Off-Shoots as a Result of Climate Change_ could lead to such heated arguments?  And how the hell was he called upon to give his thoughts on recent discoveries? 

After hearing his name called out, Bruce gulped nervously.  He enjoyed the spectical initially.  Keeping his voice low, Bruce grumbled, "How did he even know I was here?  I don't advertise my movements."  Relectently, Bruce did stand up, to an applauding audiance.  _What?_

“I’m an expert in gamma radiation.  Why are my feelings on your topic important?”  _Dumb question Bruce_ , as someone handed him the paper Professor Snabble was covering.  Yep, right there in the table of contents, _The Effects of Gamma Radiation Exposure Discovered in Newly Examined Specimens_.  He gave that section a quick read before interjecting.

“Professor, your findings are inconclusive.  You haven’t taken into account for the catalyst element.  In fact, I’m not seeing mention of any evidence that a catalyst element was even determined to be present.”  Bruce decided that since someone, Professor Snabble, was jerk enough to call him out, effectively ruining his night, Bruce would return the favor.  “You only mention gamma radiation bursts to be known to have happened around this specific time.  But low level gamma radiation alone would not cause the types of one-off mutations you are attempting to contribute to it.”

The discussion went downhill from there.  Never once did Bruce’s heckles get raised though.  Something about this so called professor not having done enough proper research into gamma radiation allowed Bruce to not have to worry about giving out secrets. 

Unfortunately, when the evening’s event drew to a close with the question and answer session of the lecture, someone asked when Dr. Banner’s book was due to come out.  _Surreal_.  Bruce attempted to sink even lower into his seat.

 

Bruce arrived home that night to find Tony sitting in his living room.

“So, what topics of scientific brillance are you planning on covering in this book you were baiting the crowd with this fine evening?”  Tony’s mirth was bubbling up past his grin and into his eyes.

“How Tony, how have you even heard of this idiocy?  Happy’s guy _just_ dropped me off.”  Bruce did not want to face the lab again, ever.

“Twitter!”  Tony had apparently stopped trying to control his laughter.

“Who?” 

“One of the other ranters in the crowd,” Tony seemed like he was positively delighted with this turn of events.  “So, no book planned.  But now that the idea is there, do you want there to be a book?”

 

Bruce managed to kick Tony out with the promise to consider a book.  _Dammit, I forgot to eat_.  Miss Lewis’s regular meal policy caused his stomach to growl.  So, he called for pizza.

Bruce woke up late the next day.  Jarvis quickly informed him that there were several voice messages and emails waiting for his attention, about 50 in all.  As it turned out, according to Jarvis, every single one of them was from someone within the publishing industry inquiring after his book.  What’s worse, and Jarvis verified this, Tony had nothing to do with any of it.

So, on day two, Bruce hid and ordered takeout.

 

 

***

Bruce had been held up in his suite for two days; three days since he detected the onset of Darcy’s ovulation cycle.  Now, it was the third night of his absence from the lab and Bruce was tired of takeout food having called for a delivery from The Tower’s regular Chinese place two blocks away.  Since his arrival at The Tower, Bruce had taken to eating all of his meals in the lab.  It had been an easy routine to fall into considering that Miss Lewis pushed food hard on her lab devotees.  It was not until Bruce retreated to his suite for the remainder of Darcy’s cycle that he became aware of the apartment’s empty refrigerator. 

So, when a knock came from his door with the scent of Chinese food wafting through from the other side, Bruce opened it without hesitation.  _Big mistake!_   Bruce’s hunger had somehow, momentarily hidden Darcy’s presence. 

The instant recognition hit Bruce, he had her.  Faster than sound, Bruce’s hands clamped onto Darcy’s hips and pulled her to him.  His mouth was immediately on her lips and his body’s temperature spiked.  The whole movement had earned a “Yipes!” from Darcy as she dropped the forgotten bag of food.  Bruce desperately attempted to wrestle back control and planted himself in the doorway.  Bruce knew that if he managed to pull Darcy inside his apartment, the fight would be over.  He would not let her go.  Bruce _would_ claim her.

 _But the kissing!_   Bruce needed to sate himself of it.  Darcy’s mouth opened to his and Bruce's heated kiss began a more aggressive onslaught.  His mouth made a madding effort to inhale her soul.  And Bruce was realizing that in another moment, he would be lost.  _So, maybe just this much._   One at a time, Bruce removed his hands from Darcy’s hips and relocated his vice grip to the doorframe.  When at last he pulled his whole body back away from Darcy, she made a small whimpering sound.  Bruce immediately clinched his eyes shut.

“You need to leave,” demanded Bruce.  The temperature on the back of his neck was still ratcheting up.

“Is it me, or did we just have a _change in relationship status_ event?”

Bruce risked opening his eyes, but nearly lost control again as her lips caught his attention.  “You – need – to go, now.” 

 

Darcy was not an idiot.  She knew something about her was affecting Bruce.  Right now especially.  The man was painfully, be it unnecessarily, in dire need.  _Damn, did he know what his presence over the last few weeks was doing to her?  Doubtful._

Darcy just nodded a bit for one moment before saying, “Just explain it to me later.”  She noticed the flash of relief that crossed Bruce’s features for the briefest of moments.  _Too bad._

Because in that moment, Darcy walked right into him landing a possessive kiss slanted over his mouth, a hand on either side of his face.  She pressed Bruce’s body just a few inches into his apartment.  But that was enough.  Darcy could feel Bruce’s control evaporate.  His arms wrapped greedily around her torso while pulling her the rest of the way inside. 

 

 _Observed from the outside_ :  The apartment door slammed shut.  A loud thud soon followed it.  That would not be the last sound coming from Bruce’s apartment this evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, I have zero knowledge of gamma radiation or how it's supposed to work.


	4. What a Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Darcy's first night together. Sexy times ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 is now shorter than when originally posted. Chapter 5 is now the second have of the original Chapter 4. Though some editing did take place, no substantial changes have occurred.
> 
> This took longer than I expected. Shortly after I started writing the chapter got away from me. Yeah, so I hope you enjoy!

Darcy felt rather than heard the door to the apartment slam.  Then she became aware that her feet were off the ground.  Instinct moved her to wrap her legs around Bruce’s hips just as Darcy’s back was slammed into the wall next to the door.  Bruce never broke the kiss.  He pressed her hard against that wall.  Darcy was pinned and would be unable to escape if she changed her mind.  But that was not why Bruce had done it.

Bruce pulled back from the kiss.  Darcy ached from the loss of his mouth only to open her eyes to the tenderest expression on Bruce’s face.  He removed one hand from her hip and was gently stroking her cheek.  Then his head came drifting back to her.  Bruce nuzzled Darcy lightly; starting with her nose, his exhaled breath blew across the smallest hairs.  She felt the inhaled scent of her flesh as her blood warmed at his touch.  He crossed to her ear on his way down to her neck.  At Darcy’s neck, Bruce used just the tip of his tongue to trace along the taut cords as his mouth exhaled and inhaled across her flesh.  Darcy’s body shivered in response.

 

_Mine_ , was all the thought that ran across Bruce’s mind.  She was here for him, and he meant to enjoy all that she was willing to give.  Bruce would allow his brain to consider everything else later.  Right now, Darcy was arching into his slow breath across her skin.  There was a lack of reluctance in all of her reactions.  For all of her decisions, Darcy acted upon them without doubt.  And, if only for tonight, Bruce would accept that without argument. 

_Mine_.  Bruce claimed Darcy’s mouth in a searing kiss.  His hand, once caressing her cheek, interlaced with Darcy’s fingers and Bruce stretched her arm up over her head pinning her hand to the wall.  Darcy inched her thighs up higher on Bruce’s hips and in doing so began grinded down on his erection.  _Dammit_ , she was wearing too much clothing for what he wanted to do right now.  Bruce released Darcy’s hand so he could reposition her legs from around his hips to around his waist.  _We’re taking this to the bedroom_.  With a vice grip on her hips for support, Bruce pulled Darcy off the wall and began moving with a purpose. 

Journeying to Bruce’s bedroom, Darcy seemed content to have her arms draped around Bruce’s neck while having soul sucking possession of Bruce’s mouth, in a moment of weakness (perhaps because Darcy had managed to take possession of a piece of Bruce’s soul in that kiss) Bruce was not satisfied.  He had to have skin to skin contact and he had to have it now.  As gentle as the frenzied moment allowed, Bruce settled Darcy’s tight bottom on the edge of one of the shelves of a bookcase in the hallway leading to Bruce’s bedroom.  _Almost made it_.  The shelving kept Darcy pitched forward slightly, but it would only be for a moment.  The angle was awkward, but Bruce managed it get his own shirt off then remove Darcy’s shirt and bra.  And before another urge took him, Bruce secured Darcy to his chest, one arm under her grabbable, grippable bottom and one around her back with her thighs mounting him about the waist, and moved quickly to his bedroom and the awaiting bed there.  _Did I make the bed this morning?_  

Bruce’s movement only slowed when he kneeled his way onto his neatly made bed, _Yes!_ , Darcy still in his arms.  Bruce moved them up the length until he could gently lay Darcy down with her head resting on the pillows.  Coming back up to rest on his bare heels (no shoes or socks); Bruce removed Darcy’s footwear, black boots that she tucked her jeans into, and socks.  He also took a moment to undo Darcy’s jeans.  Bruce forgot all about removing her jeans due to a sudden distraction, Darcy’s bare breasts moved.  And they seemed to beg for his attention.

Bruce braced himself with a hand on either side of Darcy’s body, first coming even with her eyes, Bruce’s mouth seared lightly across Darcy’s lips, down her arched neck, and lower to the valley between her breasts before sliding left breathing warm air across the bare flesh of a perfect mound and taking her right nipple into his mouth.  Darcy’s back came off the bed.  Her arms moved slowly up the bed until they were positioned above her head first catching then grasping the headboard as if it were a lifeline.  This in turn, further stretched Darcy’s already splayed form keeping every muscle taut.  She was laid out for him.  _Mine_.

With a deliberately slow rhythm, Bruce began alternating between suckling and lavishing Darcy’s perfect nipple.  After a few beats, the fingers of his right hand picked up the tempo with a circling movement on it’s perfectly matched twin.  As the primal rhythm sped up, Bruce’s strained erection began to nudge in time at Darcy’s core.  Darcy moved one hand to Bruce’s head, threading her fingers through his hair encouraging Bruce’s attentions.  But when she went to grab at it, the short hair had nothing for Darcy to hold onto.  She moved her hand back to the headboard.  Darcy’s back began to rise and fall with the rhythm that Bruce was building.  Bruce’s mouth slipped further down to the flesh just below Darcy’s breast.  There Bruce proceeded to mark her first suckling the flesh until it was pulled between his teeth then lavishing it with his tongue.  _Mine_.  Darcy whimpered.

Bruce could smell the arousal beginning to moisten Darcy’s core.  The scent caused a flare of heat to shoot up Bruce’s spine.  His mouth broke off from the spot he marked to repossess her mouth.  Bruce’s hips began a furious pace of grinding his erection into the center of Darcy’s core.  The tip of him found its way to nestle along her centerline.  More of the scent that was wholly Darcy found its way to Bruce’s nose causing his nostrils to flare.  _How ready for him was she?_

Darcy moaned at the loss of Bruce’s hand from her breast.  His body leaned to one side of her allowing him better accessibility.  Darcy gave a higher pitched moan of approval when that hand slipped between her flesh and her jeans in search for her core.  Bruce found Darcy’s panties soaked.  He ran one finger up and down her core line, shallow between her folds.  Darcy’s back arched high off the bed, a moan escaped from deep within her.  Bruce moved his mouth to her ear, “So responsive.”  Another whimper escaped Darcy.  _Mine_.

“Please Bruce,” was caught by his ear and sent a jolt through Bruce’s system.

A growl left Bruce as he pressed his forehead against hers.  He locked eyes with Darcy and ran that finger back up and down her centerline causing more whimpers to escape her mouth.  “Please Bruce,” she begged again this time more desperate.

Bruce snarled as he withdrew from her drawing another moan complaining of loss from Darcy.  _But it was for a good cause_.  Bruce divested himself of his jeans and underwear.  Then, kneeling between Darcy’s legs, he peeled her jeans and panties down her legs.  As Darcy’s second leg came free of her jeans, Bruce leaned in to mark the inside of that thigh.  And as the suckling and lavishing commenced, Bruce’s name escaped Darcy’s mouth as a whimper.  He left the mark.  It would not be half as dark as his first.  But it did not matter, she was his.  _Mine_.

Bruce watched Darcy’s face for indicators as he repositioned himself to enter her.  Taking himself in hand, Bruce ran the tip of his rock hard erection in an echoed motion from before; he ran his cock head up and down the length between the folds of her centerline.  Darcy’s back arched hard.  As he ran the tip up and down again, Darcy’s arched back ebbed and flowed following its progression until finally Bruce began working himself into her. 

Allowing one outstretched finger to guide him, Bruce worked his erection back and forth into Darcy’s core.  She was tight, wet and slick, but tight.  Bruce withdrew his hand from his erection when the crown of his cock pressed into her.  Darcy began to moan and pushed back against Bruce’s firmness.  She was still too tight for him to just take.  Bruce moaned low with the exertion of his control.  He began to slowly withdraw only to be met by the strengthening grip of Darcy’s legs.  “Easy,” Bruce began, looking into concerned eyes, “I’m not leaving you.” And as if in an effort to prove what he said, Bruce rocked back into her.  He had to withdraw again.  But the rhythm of rocking back into her was set. 

Back and forth, in and out, a slow pace was set.  Bruce leaned his forehead against Darcy’s again as he kept watch over her reactions.  He wanted this to be good for her.  Bruce _needed_ this to be good for her.  And slowly Darcy stretched for him.  Slowly Bruce began to sink deeper into Darcy’s brutally heated core.  Bruce groin was awash with Darcy’s wetness.  When he was finally hilted within her, Darcy squeezed Bruce with a slow but steady rise of pressure that forced Bruce to sag into her, his eyes closed at the pleasure, until he begged, “Darcy.”  She released him as slowly as she built up the pressure.  _No wonder she had been so tight_.

While Darcy watched him, Bruce licked two fingers and began circling her clit.  Darcy’s head went back as she began biting her bottom lip.  Abruptly Bruce removed his hand from Darcy’s clit and quickly bent down to blow a puff of air across the sensitive flesh.  Darcy shivered.  Her legs hiked up higher around his waist.  Bruce moved that hand to Darcy’s hip and began to rock into her.  He moved slowly at first as he attempted to gauge what she could take.  After a few minutes, Darcy was audibly begging for more.

Every time Darcy begged, “Harder,” or “Faster,” Bruce relented to her demands.  And Darcy demanded.  Every utterance caused a cascade of pleasure tipped pins to cross his nerves ratcheting up the affect her arousal already had on him until finally Bruce had to reach up to the headboard for leverage and support.  In a few short minutes, Bruce was slamming balls hard into Darcy.  But it would not be enough.  Bruce could break the bed and it would never be enough.  She was close.  He could taste it in the air.  Bruce released Darcy’s hip.  He licked his thumb and began circling Darcy’s clit before any change in pace could be felt.  She was already so close.  Bruce was dying to see her come.  And he would not have to wait long.

Darcy’s moans grew louder as her body began to buck wildly under him.  Bruce could get lost in the movement of her body as Darcy rose to crest over the orgasm that was about to be upon her.  As he pounded into her, Darcy’s breasts did shameless things to Bruce’s mind.  Their pattern of movement was hypnotic.  The quiver of her lips when the orgasm first broke across her body and came crashing down on her shook him.  The twitching muscles of her arms as they held on for dear life teased him.  All of this movement caused Bruce’s body to ratchet up even more.  And movement he could not see had its own power; the muscle wall at her core spasmed as a wave of the orgasm struck causing her to grip him tight.  Bruce reeled and set free his own orgasm.  He continued to pound her core, no longer in control, as each wave of her orgasm telegraphed into him.  When Bruce slowed at least, he caught Darcy's mouth again for a deep soul sucking kiss.

Euphoria washed over Darcy and Bruce.  The roll of her eyes and the twitch of half smiles across her face told Bruce that Darcy was completely taken apart and would not be conscious much longer.  Bruce managed to free the covers from under them.  He pushed the top blanket completely off the bed.  The towel Bruce used after his morning’s shower was within arm’s reach and would be dry.  Quick hands had the towel wrapped around his Darcy’s waist and between her thighs.  As he snuggled down into bed, Bruce pulled his drowsy Darcy into his arms and covered them with the rest of the blankets on the bed.  Sleep set upon them both in moments.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Later..." and all that follows has become Chapter 5. Chapter 4 is now a stand-alone for sexy time antics. This was an afterthought decision that I wish occurred to me sooner. 
> 
>  
> 
> No beta at this time. All mistakes are my own.
> 
> It might be just a bit before the next chapter. Something about a test or three.


	5. What a Night, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Darcy's first night together. But was it just a night of all fun and games? What did happen to the multitude of buxom interns Tony sent to invade the shared lab space? What made Bruce decide to cut his "fluffy" hair? And why does Darcy think she can "manage" what promises to be an epic Tony moment when the former playboy finds out about Bruce and Darcy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is NOT a new chapter. I split Chapter 4 into two separate chapters so that the "explicit content" in Chapter 4 could be skipped, if desired, without losing the storyline. Some editing did take place since I had the chapters open. But nothing substantial changed.
> 
> This chapter should still be consider as having a "Mature" rating.

Later that night…

 

Bruce sat at the table picking at his lo mien.  He barely remembered eating the first dish, beef and broccoli, through the haze of hunger.  Tonight was the first night Bruce missed his longer hair.  He did not miss having to worry about his disheveled look, but Darcy’s hand trying desperately to grip Bruce’s hair was a memory that would be staying with him a while.

And honestly, Bruce could have given a crap about his unkempt appearance except for that flock of high drama interns that managed to get Bruce’s hackles up about his fluffy hair.  _What was it about the female lab interns calling his hair “fluffy” anyway?  Hell_ , since Bruce was delving into ridiculous questions anyway, _why was Tony throwing all of the buxom young women into Bruce’s lab?_  

The first week Bruce had been living in The Tower, Tony had kept “trying” out new lab interns for Bruce’s lab.  The biggest problem, besides the fact that Bruce had found the flock – the ever revolving group of three or four cute, young ladies – annoying, was that Bruce had been sharing lab space with Dr. Jane Foster and that Darcy had been running both labs as administrator.  Though why a lab administrator had required three daisy chained computer towers and three synced-up monitors Bruce would never know.  Darcy had still been on her cycle when the first round of female interns showed up.  And after a day and a half of new groups of interns, Bruce had begun keeping count of how many curse words Darcy could string, _because it was hilarious_.  Regardless, the two women had not been amused by the antics of the flock.  _Something about those girls touching/mocking Jane’s equipment…_

When one of the interns ran her hand unexpectantly through Bruce’s hair he jumped out of his seat and sought shelter behind Darcy.  Even though Darcy was now on “the good drugs,” she never liked it when _her_ scientists were made to feel uncomfortable, _SHIELD_.  Bruce would admit that he used that knowledge to his advantage too.  When an annoyed Darcy questioned the intern, her only excuse for the behavior was to squeal, “But it’s just so fluffy!”  Bruce got his hair cut that afternoon.

Thankfully, the “try outs” had only lasted a week.  An unfortunate side effect being that Darcy was no longer on good terms with the Human Resources Department due to the overturn of “interns” that had taken place on their floor.  She had promised to make it up to them when she was feeling better.

Bruce got it, they were attractive, and if Tony was attempting to incentivize him into staying then pretty, young interns would have made Bruce think twice on any normal day.  But Tony's timing was way off.  Bruce was still having issues with Darcy’s menstrual cycle at that point.  Tony could have paraded through all of the naked, hot chicks he could find and Bruce still would not have cared.  And if Bruce had to endure another of the Other Guy’s snorts at his hair being referred to as “fluffy,” then Tony was going to feel the pain too. 

Bruce allowed the cold air of the apartment distract him again.

 

 

Darcy woke up hungry, but not wanting to move at first.  She was in a warm comfy bed snuggling a down comforter.  _Had Bruce tucked her in?_   She was only lacking the warm man that had taken her to bed.  _Dammit!_   Her hand stretched out to where she knew he had been sleeping.  _Where was he?_   Darcy caught a scent and inhaled deeply.  _Oh yeah, food_.

Darcy reluctantly sat up, braced for the cold night air that always managed to seep into The Tower.  Tony promised that it was only temporary, a problem with the heated floors.  Surprisingly, the air in this room, his room, was only slightly cool, and not all that chilly.  She noticed a shirt of his thrown over a pile of books on the floor.  _Did it really say Culver University on it?_ Darcy grabbed it up and slipped it on.  In the process, she noticed that it still smelled like him.  Darcy thanked the gods above that Bruce’s shirt came down mid-thigh, _barely_ , on her. 

While Darcy was up moving around, she noticed how sticky the area between her legs had become.  She paused in her search for food to locate the jeans she had worn.  Darcy inhaled a breath and held it.  _Why not?_   Her instincts had been good to her so far.  Making a conscious decision, Darcy claimed one of the small square-like packages from a back pocket of her discarded article of clothing.

Darcy’s cleanup in Bruce’s master bath did not take long.  _May Odin smile on whoever it was that invented the tankless water heater_.  Once dry, Darcy inserted another of the spermicide films.  The pill and other hormone interactive pregnancy preventative measures never mixed well with Darcy.  Condoms were always an option, the best option.  She stashed a couple of those in her _other_ back pocket.  But the spermicide films, those had not failed her yet.   

Darcy’s instincts had told her to go ahead and insert one of the films before even leaving her apartment to bring Bruce his food.  Darcy had good instincts, mostly because she had always listened to them.  And in every situation, when it came down to the long-run endgame, her instincts had never failed her.  _Even hacking that one company her junior year of high school_.  (Also known as:  How Darcy had popped up on the NSA’s radar!)

Finally, Darcy proceeded to leave his room in search for her all but forgotten Chinese food.  As she left Bruce’s bedroom a blast of cold air rushed her forcing Darcy to pause midstride so her body could shiver.  _Yep, there’s that Tower chill_.  She continued on only by promising her stomach food. 

Darcy walked down the hallway toward the vaguely remembered kitchen.  Natasha’s apartment was similar in layout to this one.  Down one side was the familiar built-in line of bookcases.  _So that’s were her bra had gotten to, and her shirt._   Darcy left the articles of clothing lay where they were, mostly because Bruce would need to grab her bra from the top shelf. 

 _Oh yeah, that one shelf there was just the right height to be helpful when Bruce had pressed her up against the bookcase._ That pause on the way to Bruce’s bed had allowed him access to remove her offending articles of clothing.  Darcy’s whole body shivered again, but this time at the memory.  She was still having trouble believing the intensity of the hot and heavy action that took place just a few short hours ago. 

Darcy entered the eat-in kitchen from the far side of where Bruce’s table was located.  Like Jane, Bruce’s kitchen table area resembled a study more than a place to have a meal with piles of books haphazardly deposited all over the place.  Clearly, Bruce was forced to make room on his table just so he could unload his food from the brown bag.  Bruce was sitting so that he faced her and his attention broke from eating his lo mien as soon as she walked in.

“So, I take it you ordered Chinese last night too?” asked Bruce.  He continued eating.

Darcy noticed her bag of food unopened sitting to Bruce’s left.  With an idea in her head, she walked up to his right side.  The table’s small width would ease the maneuver that Darcy wanted to pull.

“Did you know,” she began, “That your ‘apartment number’ being 6302, could easily be mistaken for my ‘apartment number,’ 6203?”  That was her excuse and she was sticking to it.

Bruce swallowed his noodles before continuing, “They delivered my order to your apartment?”

“Yep,” she folded her arms over her chest just to see if he was paying attention, that and she was cold, “Since the bill goes to The Tower account, they just dropped both orders off in one great big brown paper bag.”  And it was true, and working with the truth was always best.  _Being Clint’s friend came in handy on more than one occasion_.  Inside that larger bag had been two separate bags, one with her name on it, the other with Bruce’s.  Also on the table was the drink hold with their two super, large drinks obviously retrieved from the hallway floor where Darcy had placed it for safe keeping while knocking on Bruce’s door.

“No shirt.  It’s chilly in here, Bruce.”

Bruce nodded a few times before says, “It’s been working almost as good as a cold shower,” so not at all.  But the chilly air probably worked as a distraction.

Darcy stretched over the width of the table and right over top Bruce’s open container of lo mien, so that she breached his personal space in an effort to grab her bag of food with one hand and her drink with the other.  Her comment of, “Pity,” caused his breath to catch.  Darcy left the eating area with her Chinese food dangling next to her bare leg, heading back to the much warmer bedroom.  As she walked away, Darcy looked over her shoulder at Bruce and said, “I’ll be back in a moment to fetch your food.”

After Darcy deposited her own Chinese takeout on Bruce’s nightstand, she returned to the kitchen to find him packing up his bag with the food he already pulled out.  Darcy paused for a moment taking in Bruce’s shirtless torso and arms.  _Barton who?  Mighty nice_.  “Smart man,” she praised.  Darcy grabbed his open container of noodles and his drink and headed back to the warmth of his bedroom.

 

 

Bruce had easily given in to Darcy’s decision for him to retreat back to the bedroom.  How could he not?  _Poor impulse control, Tony_.  From now on, Bruce was going to always blame Tony’s influence for the questionable decisions he was making, _like the book_.  As he walked down the hallway to the bedroom, Darcy’s bra caught Bruce’s attention, again, causing the temperature on the back of his neck to rise, again, and the Other Guy to purr, again. 

Bruce turned to enter his room, but stopped.  He had not known what he was expecting to see, but Darcy sitting crossed legged near the top of the bed, centered on the headboard reclining high against the pillows tucked behind her was not even close.  The scene struck him.  _Those bare legs_.  A memory of Darcy’s legs wrapped tightly around Bruce him like a brick wall.  Bruce blinked rapidly trying desperately to shake himself free.

Darcy had placed her food on the nightstand on her right.  And Bruce’s container and drink to her left, so Bruce followed her lead and sat on the edge of the bed close to his food.

Darcy swallowed her bite of fried rice, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Bruce shook his head a bit before he said plainly, “No.”  But he thought about it for another moment, “Sorry.”  Bruce made sure to grab a big bite of lo mien with his chop sticks.

Darcy’s eyes looked up.  “What exactly are you ‘sorry’ for?”

As it took a minute for Bruce to chew and swallow his food, he had that time to think of a good way to answer, “I got caught up with a _thing_ and I crossed a line on impulse.”  He could feel Darcy’s eye examining him as if searching for something.  _An answer maybe_? 

“Is it just me?  This _thing_ you got caught up with, is it just me, or is there a set, or group-”

“God, no!  Darcy, it’s just you.”

Smiling, Darcy leaned over and kissed his temple, “Good, then there’s no reason for ‘sorry.’”

Bruce opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off. 

“Nope, I don’t like sharing,” was all she said.

Bruce turned back to his food smiling, finally excepting what was going on between them, if only for the night.  The Other Guy gave a low chuckle.  _Crap!_

 

 

It was several more minutes of comfortable companionship before Darcy noticed the slowly building anxiety in Bruce again.

“You’re thinking too hard about something,” Darcy tried not to sound perturbed.  “Bruce, what?”

“Tony.”

“Tony can bite me,” Darcy’s poor impulse control was now showing.  “What about Tony?”  _Why bring up the subject of Tony into any picture containing a nice, comfy bed?_

“Tony’s going to know something’s up.  That something’s changed,” Bruce clarified.

“Tony’s your friend.  He’s going to say something to you.  Heckle you a little bit.”  She knew this to be an under-exaggeration of what Tony would be willing to do.  _Something about fireworks_ , was Darcy's first guess.

Bruce stopped eating and looked at her, “You know perfectly well that Tony will go over the top on this.”

“The _over the top_ can be reined in.”

“Huh,” Bruce sounded indigent.  “Now I _know_ you’re lying to yourself.”

“Tony won’t say anything,” Darcy considered her words for a moment.  “Publically,” she clarified.

Bruce gave her a speculative look before saying, “How can you be sure?”

Darcy nodded her head forward a couple of times not looking up from her food and said, “I’ll ask nicely,” raising an eyebrow.  She looked up from her beef fried rice to see a skeptical look on Bruce’s face.  Darcy chuckled.  “Honestly, don’t worry about him.”

Bruce broke out a wide grin and asked, “How?” his voice purred dark with mischievous understanding.  He was guessing that there was a story.  _And, yes, that there was_.

“Well,” she began, fried rice spilling from her mouth drawing Bruce’s attention, “When the alternative is me asking not so nicely, Tony backs down.”

Bruce’s eyes widened with excitement, “Pleeeeasssee,” he drew the word out.  Darcy smiled at his near giddiness.  _How’s a girl supposed to resist?_

“Weeelll, okay.”  Bruce smiled, _so pleased with his damn self_.  “So, about a week after the agents, Jane’s lab equipment, our truck, and I invaded Tony’s Tower, I was experiencing some memory lapse issues-”

“Oh, God.”  Bruce was obviously concerned.

“No, it’s okay,” Bruce gave her a skeptical look, “No, really.  Okay, it’s not fun.  But,” _damn frustrated pause_ , Darcy exhaled her breath out her nose in a huff, “What I mean is that I have full knowledge of the issue.  And so does my doctor, MD not PhD, although her too, and so does,” Darcy could not stop her knee from bouncing, “Let’s just say that the people who need to know, know.”  _Damn “Secret” classification status_.

“Anyway,” because she was losing her story line, “When Tony found out he was, of course, concerned.”  _Because, yes, that asshole could be a sweet heart_.  “But after the initial shock wore off, Tony decided that he’d handle it the way Tony feels it’s best to handle things that concern him.”

Bruce winced, “He made fun of it?”

“Yes, he did.”  _And that’s why he’s an asshole_.  “In the man’s defense, he hasn’t learned another coping mechanism and I’m not sure if he’s even capable of doing so at this point.  But,” Darcy took a breath, “That does _not_ give him the right to hassle me about it every chance he got.”  Darcy began draining Bruce’s drink through the straw catching Bruce’s attention once again.

“So.”  Bruce was good at prompting.  Apparently, he really wanted to hear the story.

“So,” Darcy continued, “after I asked him nicely to stop a couple of times, I announced that the next time I asked it wouldn’t be in such a polite manner.”

Bruce’s eyebrows hit his hair line.

“Did you know that Jarvis does not, in fact, run this entire building?” 

“Ah, I can’t say I actually gave it any thought.”

“Please understand, I would never, ever hurt Jarvis,” Darcy needed that point to be clear.

“Okay, no hurting Jarvis.”

“Yep.  But, some generic, non-sentient computer program is fair game.”  Darcy checked Bruce’s expression to make sure this was understood.  _Did he even know?_   “Has anyone mentioned to you that I’m also a computer hacker?”

“Excuse me?”

 _Nope, no clue, that’s so cute_.  “Me, computer hacker genius,” Darcy pointed to herself with her chop sticks.  “It’s on my resume, or at least on the classified one.  The unclassified one doesn’t mention it.”  Darcy was digressing again.  “Anyway, non-sentient programs, no matter how hack-proof, aren’t actually hacker-proof.  And even though I didn’t actual hack Jarvis, I still managed to cripple him by cutting off his access to the rest of the building’s software.”

Realization could be seen crossing Bruce’s face.  _That’s so cute!_

“The building didn’t recognize Tony for about three days.  If he entered from the ground floor or the garage, he couldn’t get past the lobby by elevator.”  Darcy watched Bruce’s jaw drop.  “He could only access his penthouse by the rooftop entrance.  And then, if he tried to take the elevator down, it would only allow him to travel to the lobby.”

“I thought Jarvis ran the elevators?” 

It was a fair enough question.  Darcy had truly been concerned when her virus program first started interfering with that security application.  “No, Jarvis only interfaces with it.  I went in and checked the code line by line just to be sure.”  She paused, “That affect wasn’t in my initial plan and it concerned me that maybe my antivirus code for Jarvis was incomplete or lacking in some other fashion.”  Darcy’s voice betrayed the guilt she felt over the issue.  “I never want to hurt Jarvis.”    Darcy pouted.  Yeah, she was protective of the AI.  Even if he was Tony’s creation, Darcy could not hold that against Jarvis.

“Also,” Darcy continued, _because that was not all that happened_ , “When the building notices an absence of _Tony_ , it starts cutting amenities to the penthouse.”

Bruce busted out laughing.  “Oh, Pepper must have been mad.”

“Nope, she was in Tampa for a thing.”

That earned another laugh from Bruce.  Darcy smiled.

When Bruce’s hysterics calmed down, he asked, “Did Pepper know what was going on?”

“Yeah, I sent her an email the day before she left.”

Bruce laughed again.  That sound was easily becoming Darcy’s favorite sound of all times.  “What did she say?”

“Video, she asked for video.”

After another bust of laughter from Bruce, he asked, “So, Tony now responds to you asking nicely?”

“So far.”

“Well, then,” Bruce’s face held a look of shear amusement, “I’ll leave the matter in your capable hands.”

“I think that’s best.”  Darcy ducked her head to take another bite of fried rice from her chop sticks.

This time when Bruce chuckled, it grew dark.  And when Darcy looked up, it was to his hungry expression and dark eyes.  Darcy’s stomach quivered with anticipation.  She could also feel the back of her neck heating up.

The next thing Darcy knew was that Bruce’s lightning fast hand had cupped the back of her head and was pulling her forward into a bruising and possessive kiss.

 

Bruce managed to pause with the soul sucking just long enough to move their food out of the way before repossessing Darcy’s mouth.  With the food cleared, Bruce kept pulling her until he had Darcy straddling his lap.  Darcy’s hands clung to Bruce’s shoulders as if for support.  Bruce inhaled a heady scent given off by her blood.  It was intoxicating.  As Darcy was not wearing any undergarments, Bruce’s groin could feel her core temperature rising swiftly.   The heat was exquisite.  When his teeth pulled on Darcy’s lower lip, a low moan escaped her throat and her head lulled back as he released the tender flesh. 

With Darcy’s neck exposed to him, Bruce’s only recourse was to suckle the unprotected skin.  He entwined a hand through her hair and supported Darcy’s weight with his forearm as she leaned back further, giving him access to more of her body.  _Damn_.  Even through his shirt, Bruce could see Darcy’s nipples beginning to harden.  _Mine_.  A growl reverberated through Bruce and into Darcy.  A desperate moan escaped her mouth.  _Mine_.


	6. Chaos and Promises, the Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What were some of the repercussions from Darcy and Bruce's first night together? Snuggling, a frantic phone call, and a panicking Jane would not surprise anyone. But, Jane and Tony discovering that Thor knew Darcy's filing system was NOT on the top of anyone's list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter should be considered as having a "Mature" rating.

This time when Darcy woke up she could feel the warmth exuding from Bruce’s body.  Better still, she was being spooned.  Darcy could only hope that Bruce’s arm (read: her pillow) had not fallen asleep.  She tried snuggling back down and returning to that pleasant state, but it was not to be.  Darcy sighed.  She was truly well rested.  At that thought, Darcy’s eyes flung open. _Crap, what time is it?_

“Where’s the damn clock?”  Darcy tried looking around for a clock, _any time faced contraption really_ , while noticing that the sun was up; like up, up.  “Crap!”

The arms around Darcy grew tighter in an effort to still her struggles.  “Bruce, what time is it?”

“Sleepy time,” he answered, his voice groggy.

“Bruce!”  Darcy struggled a little harder.  “Come on, I need to get to work.”

“Nope.  Day off.”  Bruce began nuzzling Darcy’s ear.  _Like that would solve_ …  A low moan escaped Darcy’s mouth as her mind went blank.  She could only focus on the warm breath caressing her ear.

Darcy’s phone went off; "Let’s Start a Riot" blaring from the back pocket of her jeans.  Bruce hissed but released her.  Darcy tumbled out of bed attempting to retrieve that dastardly device before the call went to voice mail.

“Jane?” Darcy asked when she finally manage to accept the call.

“Where are you?” Jane sounded upset.  “Tony has NO idea how you managed it, but I can confirm that you are NOT in your apartment.  So, where are you?  Do you know how worried I am?  How worried Thor is?”  Darcy could hear mumbling on Jane’s end, “Tell Tony he can fuck off until I know she’s safe!”  _Nope, Jane was NOT a happy camper_.

Bruce clasped into giggles.  Apparently, he could hear what was being said on the other end just fine.  Darcy quickly threw a pillow over his face in an attempt to squash the noise.

“Is that Bruce?”  Jane paused, “Is he LAUGHING?”  _Oh, wow_.  “Darcy, why can I hear Bruce laughing?”  More mumbling could be hear from Jane’s end.

“Because I need to be using more than one pillow to smoother him but I’m holding the phone with one hand so I’m having a bit of trouble here.”

She could hear some squabbling then a faint, “Tony, give me my phone!  Tony, give it back, _now_!  TONY!”

“Hi,” it was Tony, all calm, cool, and collected.  “Did you get a chance to talk to Bruce about those publishing agents that want desperately to talk with him?  Did you _also_ remember to mention that some of them are even willing to pay for lunch?”

Bruce stilled, “Traitor!” he charged from behind the pillow.

Darcy pulled the phone away from her ear, “Me or him?”

“You!” Bruce’s finger pointed accusingly at Darcy.

“Not till I talk with you about it first,” Darcy allowed that to be heard by the phone’s receiver.

There was another scuffle on Jane’s/ Tony’s end.

“Darcy,” it was Thor this time, _because who else in this building could wrestle a phone away from Tony_ , “Do not concern yourself about the lab until after lunch.  On second thought, just apprise me if you would prefer to take the day.”

A muffled, “Thank you Thor,” came from Bruce, pillow still in the way.

Darcy checked the phone for the time, it was after 10 o’clock.  “Ah, Thor, if you’re sure?” was all she managed to say.

“I am most certain.  We shall see you tomorrow.”  With that the phone beeped the disconnection.

Darcy locked the screen and tossed her phone to the floor.  Then she slowly removed the pillow from Bruce’s face.  He wore a pinched mischievous smile and his eyes were closed.  Then he pounced.

“Back to bed with you!”  Bruce’s arms wrapped around Darcy as she yulped and he pulled her in for a kiss.

Darcy had to think quick, _Spidy sense going off_.  “I need to pee and my legs are all sticky again.”

Bruce huffed but let her go.  On the way to the bathroom, Darcy picked up her phone, Bruce’s Culver U shirt, and her jeans from the floor.  _I’m goin’ need a restock on those spermicide films_.  She closed the door behind her.

“Are you hungry?  I’m hungry,” she yelled from the toilet, the shirt already covering her skin.

There was a pause before, “Yeah, starving actually.  Someone’s been making sure that I’ve been eating on a regular schedule.”

“Really,” with the toilet flushing, she began to wash up, “Just as long as whoever’s been doing that understands that I don’t share, ever.”  Darcy could practically feel Bruce smiling through the door.

“What do you feel like eating?  I know pizza’s out.  But there’s pasta and sandwiches.”

Darcy quickly finished towel drying and inserted the film.  _15 minutes, then GO time_.  She walked out.  “Not too many people realize that I don’t actually like pizza.”

From his position sitting on the bed, Bruce turned, eyes following Darcy’s progress.  “I’d thought it was obvious.”  His voice was low.

Darcy stopped right in front of Bruce.  She grasped both sides of his head with her hands before she leaned over to plant a firm, affectionate, closed-mouth kiss on Bruce.  Darcy released his lips slowly.  She would have gone in for seconds if she were not so hungry, as punctuated by her growling stomach.  She did allow her thumbs to play across his checks for a moment longer.

“Food.  We were talking food.”  But there was a silent promise between them; there would be another tumble after food was ordered.

 

 

Elsewhere in the building…

“You, _lab minions_ , come here please.”  Thor ignored his Jane and Tony’s bickering.  The three people comprising the lab’s junior personnel, two lab techs and an intern, gathered around the area Thor indicated.  It took only a moment for the Asgardian to locate the paperwork he was searching Darcy’s desk for, “Good, here; who is Eden?”

Eden raised her hand but remained silent.

“And who is Michael?”  Thor only had two Vacation/Personal Day (aka: _Leave_ ) slips filled out.  Michael raised his hand slowly.  “Then who are you,” Thor indicated to the third individual, “and why is there not a Leave Slip for you?”

“Ah,” the lab tech’s eyes widened, “I was only assigned here yesterday afternoon.”  He shrugged his shoulders and turned both hands palms up. 

Thor studied Darcy’s desk.  If this was true, Darcy would have left herself a note as a reminder.  The young woman, whom often times played gatekeeper, was a very busy individual, though she often did not _look it_.  She would have been too concerned with neglecting a junior member of the team - and to Darcy, science was a team effort - so much so that she would have left a written reminder to ensure this _new guy_ was properly integrated. 

The note, a 3” by 5” orange _sticky_ , was left on her center computer monitor.  _That piece of equipment must be what Darcy first looks upon every morning_.  “Are you Jordon Walker?”

The boy’s body relaxed before he answered, “Yes.”

Grabbing a blank _Leave Slip_ and a pen, Thor indicated that Walker should fill out only certain lines on the page, “This goes in the "Emergency Leave" file.  Anytime you _plan_ to take _time off_ , Darcy must be made aware in good order.”  Walker looked about to protest.  “Do not trouble yourself about today’s time off.  The lab is closing for the remainder of the day.  You will not be charged for the _leave_.”  With that said, Thor dismissed the trio.  He left the file folder in the center of Darcy’s desk, Walker’s slip partially in view.

Jane and Tony were staring at him.  “Darcy instructed me how to proceed the first week of our residence.”  Thor watched as two jaws dropped.  The sight would have been comical if it were not so insulting.  “Tony, what actions must be taken for the SHIELD agents to be able to vacate as well?”

“On it.  Back in a minute,” and Tony walked off at a brisk pace.

Now Thor turned to his Jane, “You need a day of rest.  This is not _that_ , but it will have to do, for now.  You were well worked up this morning when you thought something was amiss with Darcy.  You are physically wrecked and need to relax.”  Jane did not look swayed.  “Do you honestly believe that you could forward any significant progress in what remains of the day?” 

That gave Jane pause and she crossed her arms as she thought the situation over.  “No,” was all she said after a moment’s time.

Tony was returning and Thor could see the two agents purposefully moving about in their operational area by the elevators.  “Good, then the matter is settled.” 

His Jane huffed, but seemed to accept the altered plan for the day.  _Good. **Darcy, we will speak of this later.**_

En route to the elevator, Thor’s cell phone buzzed with a text, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!  Don’t make my brain hurt, will you.  And THANKS!”  Thor chuckled as quietly as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta, all mistakes are my own.
> 
> "Let's Start a Riot" is by Three Days Grace. I do NOT own, just wish to borrow.
> 
> I cannot promise when the next chapter will come out. I did not expect THIS chapter's completion until next week.


	7. Clearing the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few things between Darcy and Bruce need to be said. How far do they get with that? And why does Jane want payback?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 carries a "Mature" ratings warning. Chapter 8 is rated "Explicit for Sexual Content," and only having sexual content. If you don't want to read it, you don't have to. One plot element takes place there and that will be readdressed in Chapter 9, right as soon as Thor's little plot bunny shuts up and allows me to finish writing it and my OTHER paper.
> 
> Be warned: Since I have no one to beta, ALL mistakes are my own.

Sometime the next Monday…

 

Jane and Thor had a lunch date scheduled.  It was not their first.  When the pair originally moved into The Tower, it took all of Darcy’s corralling skills to wrangle Jane into agreeing that she and Thor needed to spend regular meal times together _outside_ of the lab.  Because, leave it to Jane to ignore the hot and buff Asgardian prince for the flashing lights of her machines.  This being said, actually getting Jane out of the lab for a lunch date with _her_ boyfriend was an all morning production, _with scripts_.  Making certain Jane left on time was an entirely different matter. 

So, when their fourth lunch date took place closer to dinner time, Thor pulled Darcy aside and asked her to leave the matter of extracting Jane from the lab to him.  Darcy gave Thor’s proposal a full second’s worth of examination before acquiescing.  From then on, she just left the whole business of Jane leaving the lab for any reason to Thor and things managed to work out much better in the end.  Mostly because watching Jane depart the lab while dangling over Thor’s shoulder was never going to get old.  Well, it did for Jane.

After Jane’s third experiment was ruined by _mass extraction_ , because Thor has mass and his extracting skills were epic, Jane learned that it was better to factor in her lunch dates when planning the timetable for her testing trials.  _This was kind of the point._   Jane may have to learn how to accept help from the lab staff with her trial runs, but that did not mean she had to like it.  It also left a window open for a little payback.  That thought made Jane smile brighter and with a hint of wickedness when she walked out of the lab with Thor at 11:30.  Sure, Jane enjoyed pizza, but not that much.

 

 

 _Ah, oh_ , was all Darcy could think of as she watched Jane and Thor walk toward the elevator.  There would be time later for Darcy to worry about Jane’s wicked smile.

After Darcy ensured that what few interns and lab personnel, _minions_ as Darcy liked to call them, that did assist Doctors Foster and Banner had cleared the floor, she left her desk for Bruce’s work area.  As was her custom, Darcy announced her presence by leaning on the edge of his desk just inside what she considered Bruce’s personal space.  Almost instantly, Bruce stopped what he was doing and turned, looking up at her.  The gleeful expression on his face began warming Darcy’s heart and the back of her neck.

“I’ve gotta work through lunch on a thing, but you’re welcomed to join me.”  It took everything Darcy had in her to _not_ reach for Bruce.

Bruce’s stare dropped briefly to Darcy’s mouth before his darkening eyes returned her gaze, “Okay.”

Darcy’s body was humming, some parts were tingling, and her hands began to twitch with the need to touch him.  So, she stood and walked toward the kitchen area.  Darcy made sure to have staple items routinely inventoried and restocked.  So, remaining behind in the lab for lunch to continue working on her project was less of an issue than it could be. 

She asked, “I’m goin’ for a cold cut sandwich, want one?” in her normal indoor voice.  Darcy felt Bruce following her to the prep area so there was no reason to shout.

Bruce responded, “I’m feeling a craving for tuna myself.”  Darcy was quite aware of Bruce’s gaze resting on her as she began to pull items from the refrigerator.  As it turned out, that tingling part of her was localized to one area, between her legs. 

While Darcy’s attention was on rifling through the contents of the fridge, she missed Bruce pulling the 12 Grain wheat bread from the cupboard.  He came to her side to deposit it on the countertop and turned back, presumably to collect plates.  Darcy had been moving to the utensil draw when she brushed past Bruce catching his scent.  It caused her breath to catch and the movement caught his attention.  _Dammit!_

 

 

Bruce only had so much control.  It had been risky coming so close to Darcy.  He had _almost_ proven to himself that he could manage it; stay in the same vicinity as her and not lose control.  The hitch in her breath did him in.  Bruce turned back and caught Darcy’s mouth with a searing kiss.  It surprised him when her hands took possession of his head, then held him still while slanting her mouth over his.  Bruce’s body immediately turned to flame as he pushed further up against her person. 

Bruce’s hands anchored them to the kitchen countertop while the kissing continued.  As she was pressed against the countertop, Darcy sighed.  Bruce took this opportunity for his mouth to reposition to Darcy’s throat.  Her neck arched.  The sigh turned into a low moan that resonated within her.  Darcy’s arousal could not escape Bruce’s brutal notice.  _Mine_.  Even with her eyes closed-her pupils had been blown wide since the kissing commenced, Darcy’s scent surrounded him.  _More_.  And from how her body was moving against him, her stance parted and one hand was pulling his hip tighter into her heat, Bruce’s arousal did not escape Darcy’s attention.  _Now_.  But a flash of a thought made him pause.

“Cameras,” Darcy gasped.  Apparently, the same thought ran through her mind too.

“Crap.  Crap.  Crap.”  Bruce slowly, painfully separated himself from Darcy.  He immediately grabbed a wet washcloth from the sink, filled it with ice from the freezer, and positioned it on the back of his neck.  Bruce exhaled a long held breath.  He hated the cold, but the distraction helped Bruce reclaim his control, sort of …     for the time being …     maybe.

Bruce felt rather than heard Darcy dampen another washcloth.  This one went directly to the back of _her_ neck, without ice.  Several long moments passed before either one moved.

“Bathroom.  I’ll be …   back,” her voice stammering as Darcy exited the kitchen.  It took Bruce another couple of minutes for his legs to begin working again.  Decision made, he finished preparing the lunch he and Darcy had planned on eating.

 

 

When Darcy returned, she found Bruce seated in the big comfy armchair next to her desk.  He was alternating between blowing over and test sipping his tea.  Both sandwiches, two bags of chips (plain chips for him, Spicy Nacho for her), and her customary can of Dr. Pepper sat waiting for her return.  Without a word Darcy picked up the can, popped the top, and began chugging the cold soda down.  Two-thirds of the way to finishing off the caffeinated drink, she stopped.

“Ahhh,” Darcy sat down with a sigh. 

Her clean up in the combination bathroom-locker room had not been half-assed.  Since Darcy kept it stocked, she had known where the soap, washcloths, and towels were located.  She ended up having to divest herself of her all but soaked through underwear.  _The things that man could make her body do_.  Darcy had not only washed between her legs, but also her wrists, and neck.  Back in the kitchen, she had noticed when Bruce’s nostrils had flared.  Good money was on that the _twitch_ had not been just an instinctual movement but a reaction to something.  _A scent perhaps?_  

Darcy’s attention moved to the splash screen currently showing on her laptop’s monitor.  She hit “OK” and took a moment to alter a line of code in one of the open windows.  Distractions could be helpful.  Darcy did not want to have this conversation, but she needed to at least start it. 

“We need to clear the air of a few things.”

“Okay?  Namely what?”  Bruce looked a little apprehensive as he set aside his tea.

“I have a friend.  He has a well-developed physique that would make sculptors cry.  He’s funny as hell.  In New Mexico, he’d let me crash at his place when I was too drunk to even try to make it home on my own.  He’s currently in parts unknown.”  Darcy paused for affect before continuing.  “I am not giving him up.  However, I’m willing to tone down the commentary on his attributes.”

Now, Bruce was smiling and looking a little guilty when he said, “Barton and _the glory_ , gotcha.” 

Darcy’s eyes went wide while her expression of shock and delight spread, “You were awake,” again, she paused for affect, “and listening!”  Then as she remembered where the conversation was leading shortly after the Barton-talk, Darcy’s face reddened up.

She took a breath, “Anyway, from the intel that I’ve managed to _not_ collect,” high, high emphasis on _not_ , “from Clint,” Darcy looked around the lab, mostly for affect, but also because she was still protective of Clint, “I believe that he’s become entangled with someone.”  Her quiet voice was getting a little giddy there at the end.

“Ah?”  The question mark was audible. 

Darcy dropped the act and said, “No, Clint and Natasha are _not_ a thing,” as if she knew what Bruce was thinking.  _Because she did_.

“Really, because I’d of thought she and he would’ve been a thing before I ever would’ve guessed him and you.”

“Yeah, that threw everyone for a loop.  I don’t think Tony’s recovered from having to mentally erase his _entire_ well thought out pornographic plot bunnies starring those two.”

Bruce hid his eyes behind a hand just before he broke out giggling.  The giggles seemed unstoppable.  Darcy was not sure he would not fall out of his chair.

“Wow,” was Bruce’s only comment as he broke into laughter.

 

 

When Bruce finally laughed himself out, he found he had to wipe tear tracks from both eyes.  Darcy was sitting back in her chair, arms crossed, watching and waiting, “You needed that laugh.  You’re out of practice.”

Bruce pounced on his tuna fish sandwich, “Not lately.”

Darcy gave Bruce an appraising look, “Your shell is breaking.”

That statement both frightened and thrilled Bruce.  When he noticed Darcy’s attention glancing quickly at her laptop screen, her finger’s slight movement with the mouse, Bruce remember something, “So, hacker genius?”

Darcy deflated a bit, “Yeah, clearing the air.”  She paused, _thought organization perhaps_ , “You’re never going to believe me if I don’t show it to you.”  Darcy pushed away from her desk stopping at her bag on a table to retrieve something.  Whatever it was, Bruce could see it in her clasped hands as she rolled her chair back toward him.  The look of guilt on her face crushed Bruce’s heart.  _Oh, my sweet girl_.  “I’ve had this since I was 19,” she said as Darcy handed the wallet like object to Bruce. 

Bruce accepted it with two hands, just the way Darcy held it out to him.  Her heel began tapping a tattoo on the ground.  Bruce looked over the item before opening it; the leather was pristine, the spine had barely any ware on it.  Inside was a leather divider; one side held an ID card with photo and credentials, the other side held a badge.  It said National Security Agency on it.  Bruce flipped back to the credentials and read it carefully.

“This states that you’re a contractor.”  Bruce could barely breathe.

“Yes.”  Darcy radiated nervous energy.

“So, you’re an NSA contractor with a badge?”

“Yes.”

“And this has something to do with the hacking thing?”

“Yes.”

“Does it have anything to do with how you got your iPod back from SHIELD?”

Darcy’ heel stopped tapping.

 

 

Darcy was in shock.  There was no other term for it.  Of all the things Bruce could ask, that was a leap.  “How do you know about that?”

Bruce shrugged, “Tony.”  _Because that was the answer for every ridiculous thing_.

“Okay, that may explain the random iPod knowledge, but not the bit about the NSA getting me out of SHIELD lockup.”  Darcy had absolutely no thoughts running through her skull at the moment.  _Nope, mind’s blank_.

Bruce smiled, but could not hide the smugness, “That was a guess actually.”

“Wow,” Darcy could not find her words with a map and a flashlight.  “Wow.”

“So, can you talk about it?”  Bruce was trying to act innocent.

“Nope,” Darcy took a breath, “In fact, just speaking key phrases around certain parts of the City could get me called in by my handler for a conversation I’d rather _never_ have.”

“You have a handler?”

“Yeah.”  And could she come in handing.

“Like an actual handler?”

“Like, she’ll check in on me.  She’ll call me in for questioning at random intervals.”  Darcy gave a heavy sigh before continuing, “And she _hates_ the fact that Jane’s been moving so much recently.” 

“So, you’re in regular contact with her?”

“She’s one of the biweekly meetings I take in the building.  Tony doesn’t want her to have access to the lab floor.  Well, Tony doesn’t like even allowing her in The Tower, but he likes the idea of me getting detained _there_ even less.  Plus, The Tower’s got a special conference room just for secret-squirrel type stuff and because he likes to have as much control as possible, that’s where I take those meetings, but now she’s our contact for handling Thor’s residential issues, so …” Darcy finally takes a breath.

“That’s one way of giving her limited access to the building I suppose.”  Bruce paused, “Wait, so she’s here in New York?  Did she have to transfer offices when you moved with Jane?”

“Not while we were in England,” Darcy began, “I’m under strict ‘no hacking’ orders when I’m in England, well, all of Great Brittan, really.  But she got reassigned here after I dismantled the New Mexico lab, so yes.”

“Wait, backup, did you just concede that you were actually following orders?”

“More like under threat of _serious_ jail time.”

“Ah, just checking.”  Bruce paused before asking, “So, you didn’t get caught is what you’re saying?” 

Darcy’s eye went wide.  She drew herself up to say, “I didn’t…” pause, “That is…” pause, “I just found…” she gave up.  Darcy was flabbergasted.  In an effort to burn off some of the nervous energy she stood up to do some much needed pacing.

 

 

Bruce’s jaw was on the ground.  He had been mostly kidding.  But his girlfriend (?) was now completely flustered.  More importantly, she looked about ready to bolt.  Bruce could not let that happen.

Abruptly, Darcy sat back down.  “I didn’t hack anything,” she began.  “I’d found a virus in the university’s mainframe _while_ I was accessing the terminal in Jane’s lab.  Telling the proper authorities got me booted out of the country for a bit.  I ended up just doing a semester at Culver before being cleared to go back.”  Bruce could see the guilt Darcy felt in the way she was slouching and looking sideways at the ground.  She continued, “Jane lost her lab privileges at the university.  She was mightily pissed off that I got blamed for a hack I didn’t commit,” Darcy began fidgeting.  She was quite flustered, “Ironically, if I were the culprit, I never would’ve gotten caught.”  She began pulling away.

Bruce moved quickly to position himself kneeling on the floor in front of Darcy’s chair.  His arms bracketed her legs as he anchored the chair in place.  When Bruce managed to catch her gaze he said, “Darcy, I was trying to make a joke,” He searched her eyes, “I promise.  I didn’t know or I wouldn’t have said anything.”

Bruce watched as Darcy’s breathing returned to its normal calm.  He continued to hold her gaze until the light in her eyes came back on.

“When was the last time you had shower sex Doc?”

Bruce paused a beat before answering, “Who says I’ve ever had shower sex?”

“My back against the wall.”

Bruce was quickly becoming restless.  His arousal spiked.

Darcy eyeballed him for a quick moment before pushing away and walking towards the women’s locker room.  It took Bruce a moment to find his legs before getting up off the floor and follow her.  But he did pause and hesitated outside the door just long enough for Darcy to come looking for him and pull him into the locker room after her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During the next week or so, I will probably end up completing a little editing. I will fix the mistakes in groups as a find them.
> 
> Reminder: If you do NOT want to read porn, do NOT read Chapter 8.


	8. Clearing the Air, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shower sex.
> 
> And the Other Guy has an opinion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 is rated "Explicit for Sexual Content," and only having sexual content. If you don't want to read it, you don't have to. One plot element takes place here and that will be readdressed in Chapter 9, right as soon as Thor's little plot bunny shuts up and allows me to finish writing it and my OTHER paper.
> 
> Also, no beta. So ALL mistakes are my own.

In the lock room …

 

She was already naked.  Bruce was awe struck; there was no better term for it.  And the shower began steaming up the place.  _Blessed tankless water heaters._   Bruce roughly pulled Darcy to him, devouring her with a kiss.  He backed her up against a wall and having taken possession of her ass with both hands, Bruce lifted her until Darcy could wrap her bare legs around him, her core settling against his erection.  _God dammit!_  He was still dressed.

Darcy’s hands made quick work of removing Bruce’s shirt.  She threw it on top of the pile of her own clothes.  But Bruce still had to work his way out of his shoes and pants and anything in between.  _God dammit!_   That expression was due to Darcy’s nails finding flesh on Bruce’s back that she had yet to mark up.

“I need to get undressed.  I need your feet on the ground, now.”  Darcy did as she was told.  A growl escaped.  _Fast was best_ , Bruce kept trying to convince himself.  His clothes and shoes were off in nothing flat, but Darcy was already moving toward the shower.  He caught her before she got more than her arm wet.  Apparently, she was adjusting the water temperature.  That was fine, because her arousal was still a heady presence in the air.  Her moisture pooled between her thighs.  And Bruce _wanted_ that scent on him. 

There were three showers in the women’s locker room.  Each shower was equipped with a sturdy balance bar.  And each dividing wall was ten inches wide and the outside face was tiled.  Towel hooks hung high over Darcy’s head, out of the way.  It was on one of these divides that Bruce now pressed her up against.  _Mine_.  Bruce lifted Darcy high on his waist.  Her legs wrapped around him.  It was not necessary, but she supported part of her weight on his shoulders.  The steam began making their skin slick.  Bruce caught Darcy’s gaze and held it as one hand moved his erection down her centerline and aligned it with her core.  As Bruce lowered her slowly onto his cock, Darcy’s head fell forward landing with a thud on his shoulder.  He could feel her core walls stretch around his ridged cock.  And a low moan escaped across his skin.  Bruce leaned his forehead on Darcy’s shoulder, his breath played against her skin.  When her breath hitched, a quick inhale pulled air across Bruce’s flesh.  Abruptly, he stopped breathing.

Bruce’s skin became instantly over-sensitive.  The instinct to move was rising to a compulsion.  He was not going to last long.  Darcy’s body gave a shudder.  Bruce pounded into her once before he managed to stop himself.  He growled into his restraint.

Darcy whispered softly, “If you move, I _will_ come,” Her words both promise and threat.

They were on a time schedule sure, but not one that demanded _instant_ gratification.  _God Dammit!_   Bruce held Darcy tight against him while he moved them under the hot spray of water.  He turned and gripped the balance bar attached to the shower stall wall and using it as a guide Bruce positioned Darcy against the wall.  Thankfully, the shower nozzle’s spray was wide enough to allow water to continually fall on their bodies.

 

 

Darcy felt the tension dissipate; Bruce’s muscles, the strain of holding himself still, not allowing her to move against him, her own strain of holding back an orgasm that nearly exploded on contact with him.  All of it receded from the forefront allowing the couple to open their eyes and see each other.

Bruce looked a little lost.  So, Darcy cupped his face in her hands and reached to him for a kiss.  The hot water spilled over them while the kiss began to build.  Mouths opened and tongues intertwined as Darcy combed slow fingers through Bruce’s hair.  It was not long enough to grab, but she could damn well play with it.  As a reward for her efforts, Bruce’s claim on Darcy deepened.  His mouth grew more aggressive.  And though she was up against a wall, he continued pulling her to him; the hand that possessed her ass cheek, its fingers kneaded her flesh, and the other hand pulled the back of her neck close while its thumb grazed lightly over the cords of her throat.

Darcy began to slowly rock herself into Bruce.  His moan was caught by her mouth.  Darcy squeezed Bruce’s erection with slow building pressure.  She felt a tremor rock his body.  As the walls of her core relaxed, Bruce withdrew.  Darcy could feel his cockhead halt its motion at the very entrance of her core for a brief moment only to thrust in with brutal force.  She could not help but to cry out.  Bruce caught hold of her bottom lip with his teeth and began suckling it.  He withdrew again.  And again he thrust in brutally. 

While Bruce’s pace built, Darcy’s head fell back on the tiled walled as her body strained to bow.  Bruce’s mouth lowered to Darcy’s exposed neck then her collar bone, all the while trailing his tongue with a feather’s touch.  His arms roped around her body while Bruce’s hips continued rocking into her with a driving force. 

 _He possessed her; was in possession of her.  And she was cherished_.  With that thought the orgasm building fast within flashed outward racking Darcy’s body again and again in the waves of its release.

 

 

Bruce had felt Darcy’s orgasm build.  He had been aware of it like he had been aware of every other aspect of Darcy; from how much cinnamon she put in her crazy coffee concoctions to whether or not her footwear was hurting her feet.  Bruce could only describe this fiendish type of lovemaking as aggressive at best, but when her orgasm ripped through her Bruce was hit by a wall of pure unadulterated ecstasy; Darcy’s ecstasy.         

As her body sung to him, sated as she was from the orgasm he elicited from her, and his pace became less crushing, blood rushed his ears.  The pressure built fast.  Bruce’s fingers flex tight.  And when she pulled him in for a light kiss the pressure behind his own orgasm released and Bruce had to grasp the balance bar again.

 

As Bruce reentered the world of the living, a constant sound resonated in his mind.  It was warm and mild and comforting.  The hot water was washing the couple clean.  But Bruce did not want to be clean.  He wanted Darcy’s scent all over him.  Stronger than that urge was Bruce’s instinct to hide Darcy away, keep her hidden from all others.  He wanted to keep her only for himself.  And that instinct was overwhelmingly strong.  It began to consumer Bruce. 

But then the Other Guy picked up the rhythm of the sound in Bruce’s peripheral.  He made the background noise more noticeable to Bruce.  Warmth and comfort began wrapped around his heart and down through his limbs.  A moment passed in this mild state before Bruce realized what the sound was.  It was a purr. 

Darcy was purring.  Darcy’s purring was the sound in Bruce’s peripheral.  The Other Guy’s purr began to harmonize with Darcy’s.  And in that harmonized purr floated the words:  _She is yours.  Let her go.  She will stay_.  For all of Hulk’s lack of subtlety every other time he gave his opinion, these soft assuring statements quieted Bruce’s rampant soul.  They trampled down Bruce’s overly-possessive instincts and allowed him to breathe easy for the first time today.  _She was his_.  He did not have to hide her away, to keep her from anyone who would want her for themselves.  Hulk’s purring continued:  _She will stay_.

Hulk and Bruce continued these quiet declarations of assurances for another few moments while Bruce held Darcy.  If she noticed anything amiss, Darcy did not say.

When Hulk was certain Bruce would not do anything stupid, he withdrew from the forefront of Bruce’s mind and into a quiet state of rest.  One last chuckle from the big guy brought Bruce’s attention back to the shower and to Darcy resting in his arms. 

Bruce brushed Darcy wet hair back from her face and kissed her softly.  When their lips parted, Darcy gave an amused “Hmm,” and smiled listlessly. 

With regret Bruce stated, “We should get back.”

“Alright,” Darcy responded, “If we must.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so seriously, I had a lot of trouble with this last “Explicit for Sexual Content” scene. I am respectfully requesting input: Did I hit the mark or should I have worked on it for another day or so? Did I lose anyone with the mechanics of it all? I was also going for a massive explosion of intense sexual passion; did I deliver?


	9. Repercussions and Epiphanes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Darcy have a secret; not from Jane of course, but a secret all the same. Bruce is the only one Darcy can even consider telling, but is the secret already out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still no beta, so all mistakes are my own.
> 
> Sorry this took so long. Papers to write, writer's block, common cold; pick the excuse.

After lunch …

The minions returned before Jane and Thor.  Darcy wondered lightly if the pair had had a good time at lunch.  She was sitting at her desk happily checking over the progress of her latest project for the Agency.  Her mood was light and happy.  A quick glance over to Bruce’s work area caught him looking at her.  His eyes were light-hearted and smiling.

The elevator’s ding announced the arrival of Jane and Thor. 

“Hey Darcy,” said Jane as she rushed passed the Gatekeeper’s desk. 

Thor walked up at a slower pace.  Darcy watched Thor’s observant eyes focus too long on a few details.  _Uh oh_.

 

 

When he first exited the elevator car, Thor’s attention was caught by the SHIELD guards.  The two were at the desk; one sitting behind a monitor, the other standing with a tablet.  _Making rounds_ , he guessed.  While the one standing never broke eye contact with his device, the one sitting, Steven, moved his eyes quickly from Thor to his monitor, the device was always showing the multitude of feeds from the lab cameras, back to Thor then to the Gatekeeper’s Desk (read: Darcy’s desk) and back to Thor.  The agent repeated the same cycle of eye movement one more time before Thor straightened his back.  Something had transpired here.  The SHIELD agents were not being forthright with the particulars, so what had happened was not dangerous, but possibly private. 

Thor had not yet spoken with Darcy about the nature of her relationship with Dr. Banner.  In truth, he had hoped that their affair would be a _one-time thing_.  Now, as he was walking toward Darcy, Thor was left to wonder.

Darcy’s wet hair caught Thor’s attention first.  Then he noticed the Doctor’s mug, the one he used for tea, left unattended on the edge of Darcy’s desk near the chair that he himself had occupied from time to time.  The languid smile on her face and her barely touched sandwich pushed Thor’s gaze to find Dr. Banner.  The good doctor had the same wet hair and wore the same smile of content.  Thor looked from one to the other and back again for a moment.

“Please excuse me Darcy, but I must speak with Dr. Banner for a moment,” he paused, “outside.”

 

 

Darcy’s blood ran cold.  She was sure if she were to look in a mirror that she would be pale as death right now too.  “Thor,” she called out, but her weak voice failed.

_Get up now_ , she told herself.  But her legs lost blood too.  _Get up!_   Darcy pushed her chair hard away from the desk.  She was sure the movement would catch Bruce’s attention.

It did, but Bruce’s serene manner remained intact.  Bruce stood when he saw the Asgardian prince approach.  “Thor,” he greeted with a nod.  Darcy knew that Bruce was reluctant about shaking hands so she was not worried when her boyfriend (!?!) waited to extend a hand of greeting to his teammate. 

“Doctor,” Thor’s voice was calm and soft, “Might I have a word with you somewhere where there are less prying eyes?” 

“Thor,” Darcy jumped as Jane’s voice projected from behind her, “Babe, we talked about this.”  Darcy could do nothing except bounce her gaze back and forth between Thor and Jane – her savior.

“No, my Love,” Thor turned to his Jane, “We began the discussion.  Then we became distracted.  The conversation did not end in a resolution.”

“Then, I think we should resolve _our_ discussion before any decisions are made.” Jane was trying, but _Is that all you’ve got?_

“Jane,” Thor spoke with patience, “Our discussion will be a draw, again.  We will become distracted, again.  And nothing will move forward, again.” Darcy saw the realization flash over Thor’s features.  His little sly Jane was causing a stalemate.

Not going down without a fight, Jane smiled a wicked little smile and clasped her hands behind her back.  “Well, I like how we get _distracted_.”

Thor’s face heated up.  Darcy could see the memories of the couple’s _distracted_ episodes dancing in every twitch and muscle movement of the Asgardian prince.

Darcy chanced a look at Bruce.  He was staring interestedly at Thor.  But with Thor’s physical shake, like he had to cast of the memories, and Darcy’s attention snapped back to Thor.  _Right_.

“Thor, honest, we were going to discuss it.”  She had not wanted to, but this was not the first time Thor had brought this up.  In the past, it had not been necessary.  Darcy could not bring herself to like a guy enough to worry about having to have this conversation.  But Bruce was so far removed from everyone else.  It was never a matter of _if_ , only _when_ would she tell him.  When Thor announced to Darcy that a discussion was pending, she had made up her own mind.  She would tell Bruce – period.  That was that, and scary as all hell.

Thor appeared encouraged, “When?”

“At lunch, today.”  Darcy felt pinned to her seat.  That had been the plan.  A derailed plan, but the plan never the less.

Thor’s shoulders fell.  “And I can tell how that went.”

“That was probably my fault.”  _Bruce for the save_.

Thor turned suspiciously to the scientist.

“Look, I have no idea what we were supposed to be discussing, but we were getting through the stuff about the badge-” Bruce got interrupted by Jane.

“You told him about the thingy,” Jane’s hand mimicked opening a wallet.

Darcy nodded to Jane, “Yeah, I-” and she would have continued except Jane was hurt.

Jane crossed her arms over her chest, “I’ve never seen your credentials.”

“Jane, you’ve never asked.  Or I’d have shown you.”  The truth hurt both ways.  Darcy continued “It has always been better for you to know as little as possible.”

Jane’s back went ridged, “Always!”  _Oops!_   “Always?!  It’s always been better for me?”  Jane was getting revved up now.  “Explain England then.  How was YOU getting hauled off by the police, detained for questioning, and then deported good for me, Darcy?”

 

 

Thor watched as guilt crushed Darcy.  “That wasn’t my fault.”  Her words were spoken so softly they could have been missed if everyone’s attention had not been on her.  Thor neared Darcy, wanting to take her into an embrace.  He had heard Jane’s side of the story.  The authorities in England had not gone easy on Darcy.  _Oh, precious child_.

Bruce interrupted, “And that’s what derailed our earlier conversation.”  Bruce was moving to Darcy’s aid.

Darcy was like how Frigga had been; she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders and only a very few ever glimpsed it.  This state of being was still relatively new for Thor.  As Thor understood it, Darcy’s been yoked by it for all of her adult life, plus a few years of her youth.  How Darcy had managed to appear so lively and free while feeling every misstep, every lost opportunity was beyond him.

While Thor approached he noticed that Darcy was near tears though Thor knew that she would never admit to it.  Thankfully, Jane knew she had gone too far.  And before Thor or Banner could reach her, Jane had wrapped Darcy in a tight embrace. 

Thor watched as Darcy hid her face and began, what he knows now to be, a breathing technique.  She would hold a breath until it hurt, then release it.  Followed by a half breath in and hold.  Thor’s previous observations had taught him to expect three iterations of this before calm could reclaim her.  To his credit, Banner also noticed the practiced routine, because during Darcy second repetition, the doctor noticeably relaxed.

When at last Darcy withdrew from Jane, Darcy, _in practiced defiance_ Thor was sure, held her head up high and turned to directly to him.

“I opened with the badge, because I had to start somewhere.”  She spoke with rehearsed detachment, “We got _distracted_ en route to the _other_ thing.”

“I’m sensing a theme here,” Thor stated without thought to the consequences.  _Damn_.

 

 

Darcy could not help but smile while saying, “What, that intelligent, hot chicks can be easily distracted by the promise of great sex?”  _Because didn’t Thor just walk himself into it?_

With that, Eden closed a book hard on a table.  She got up and grabbed her bag while mumbling something to the other minions.  Then she practically ran for the elevators.  The two minions left behind began to move cautiously about their work area. 

Jane picked up Darcy’s line, “I do believe, Darcy, that your hypothesis has merit and is worthy of further study.”

The cautious movements of the minions from earlier quickly became a series of hasty noises as the two stragglers fastened their pace and left without a word.

It was her turn, “What were you thinking, Jane?  Rehash of some prior observations or a whole new series of trial tests?”  Darcy enjoyed watching her two favorite Avengers as their ears turn bright, beet- _ass_ red.

“Thor,” Bruce’s voice had gone up an octave, _that was so cute_ , “You mentioned something about us having a talk; someplace other than here?”  Bruce was already heading toward the elevators.

“Um.  Yes.”  And with that, Thor followed Bruce.  _Crap_.  Well, it would save her the trouble.  The rational side of Darcy didn’t believe that _it_ would matter all that much to Bruce.  But the part of the brain that could conjure self-doubt and self-destructive behavior had Darcy in knots.

 

 

Bruce’s mind was floating.  _Great sex_.  Darcy had called it “great sex.”  He was approaching the SHIELD guard station with Thor on his tail.  Now was not the time to be thinking of how to say “Thank you” properly. 

The agents on duty had their noses in books.  Bruce pushed the call button only to be answered by Jarvis.

“I am sorry for the delay gentlemen.  But the lab techs just went down and Sir is on his way up from the lobby.”  Retreating to a more private place was going to be delayed, Bruce could feel it.

Bruce could also feel the two agents lifting their eyes, studying the Avengers waiting for the elevator.  Without turning to them, he ordered, “Not a word.  Not one word or recording makes it off this floor.”  There was a pause.  Bruce liked how Darcy used affective pauses.  “Must I say more?”  With that, Bruce turned and stared, eye-balling both agents in turn.  Bruce smiled when they jumped.

“Yes, sir.  Understand completely.”

“Not a problem, sir.”

Bruce waited.  He made sure that they both meant it before turning away.

This second elevator car was programmed to not retrieve riders below the private apartment floors of The Tower without a special access code or Tony’s special smartphones.  The car was lobby accessible but because it was Stark’s tower, the residents had their own private lift to travel between their floors and the labs.

Tony’s timing was impeccable.  The elevator alarm dinged his arrival before the doors opened revealing Tony; standing in the middle of the car balancing a pizza box on one hand and a slice of half eaten pizza in the other.

“Going up?”  Tony was half joking.

That brought Thor out of his stooped.  “Yes.”

Bruce turned and blinked as Thor walked past.  _Was he nuts?_

Tony looked bemused at having to give up his position in the center of the car, but continued munching on his pizza.  Bruce hesitated, but followed Thor.

After the doors closed and the lift began to rise, Bruce realized that neither he nor Thor pushed a button.  “Thor?”

“The roof,” was Thor’s only response.

 

 

Tony was puzzled.  Two of the biggest appetites on the planet and neither were making for his pizza.  A common man would take it as a win.  But there was nothing common about Tony.

“Are you two fighting again?”

“No, Stark.  We must simply have a talk.”  Thor’s ability to understate hurricane force winds as a little breeze sounded more acceptable than that comment.

“Bruce?”

“His call, Tony.  I’m in the dark.”  Bruce’s voice was, for the most part, measured and calm.  But there was an edge in there, just below the surface.  _Mild mannered in all things that weren’t Darcy_.

“So, Darcy then?”  That got both men to turn and look at him.  “Does this having anything to do with-”

“Tony,” Bruce cut in, “I know Jarvis doesn’t run the elevators.”

“Yes, Tony, this is a private matter and I mean for it to remain that way.” 

The elevator dinged their arrival to Tony’s penthouse level.

Once clear of the shaft and still munching on pizza, Tony continued, “You know roofs are subject to satellite observation.”  But Tony had a fix for that.

“Stark,” Thor began, “I mean to use your electronic curtain.” 

_Well, there goes that surprise_.  Tony set the pizza box on the counter, but followed Thor and Bruce after snagging one more yummy slice. 

Thor led Bruce out the terrace door to an area near the pool lounge and covered bar where the curtain was most effective.  When Tony saw Thor make for the control box he picked up speed.  But he was too late.

“Stark, Darcy showed me how to work the controls during the _Welcome_ party you held during our first week.”  And sure enough, as Tony approached, Thor finished the startup and setting command sequence activating the curtain. 

“Well, damn.”  Tony observed that Thor was just full of surprises.  “I know that Asgard has technology, but I figured that the transition would be more difficult.  Kind of like a Brit having a conversation with an Appalachian.  A _cultural differences_ and _reference point of knowledge_ kind of learning curve.”

Thor just shrugged.  “Darcy does not seem to have any great difficulty with what technology my friends and I bring here.”  He looked lost in his thoughts for a moment, “Maybe it’s a family _thing_.”

Tony caught the remark.  Good money said Bruce had too.  Tony bit off half his slice before asking with a mouth full, “It’s the middle of the day.  What has _Trouble_ been up to now?”

Thor ignored Tony, but turned on Bruce to scrutinize him.  Tony was taking a half step between the two men when Thor stated, “You look remarkably calm Dr. Banner.” 

Tony backed away.

“I am calm,” Bruce answered.  And it was true, Tony noted.  For the first time in weeks, Bruce was utterly calm.

Ever since Tony recognized Bruce’s symptoms as belonging to someone who suffered an unrequited attraction to Darcy, a pronounced turbulent state had taken over his friend.  Even when the man sat perfectly still an unstable energy churned just below Banner’s skin.  A couple mornings ago, when the pair’s mutual attraction came to ahead, so to speak, Tony had actually been relieved, grateful even.  He’d assumed that Bruce would relax once he realized that Darcy really, truly liked him.  But sadly, the opposite had proven true.  Bruce could still appear motionless, but the turmoil under the surface had ratcheted up.    

So, the contrast was striking.  Tony joined Thor in examining their friend.  “I’ll be damned.”  He finished his slice of pizza before continuing, “Finally broke out the big bag of weed then?”  _Poke_.

“Tony, what is it with you and weed, anyway?”

“Stark, why are you asking about a plant?”  It was fun to watch Thor catch on to stuff.  “Does this plant contain medicinal qualities?”

“Yeah, big guy.  Fun ones, too.”  Tony grinned at the idea of getting Thor toked.

“It’s a plant that once processed and consumed affects the neurology and psychology of the patient.  Euphoria, relaxation, and increased appetite are among the number of predictable side effects.” 

Thor furled his brow, “Cannabis?”

Tony and Bruce turned to stare at Thor, the question plan on their faces.

Thor just shrugged, “Darcy.”

Tony was slightly annoyed, “That girl’s just taking _all_ the fun right out of my day.”

“Careful Tony,” Bruce grin shown through his words, “ _That girl_ can really make your day hell if you give her too much grief.”  Bruce looked innocently at Tony.

Then Bruce remembered Thor and while smiling asked, “How much time have the two of you spent together?”  Bruce was mostly joking with Thor. 

Tony watched Thor attempt to figure out how to properly answer that question.  Because let’s face it, that question had implications.

Tony began to debate the need to finish his pizza.  “So, you two need to talk, right?”  He began to leave.  _The pizza was probably already cold_.  Glancing over his shoulder at Thor, Tony asked, “Does this having anything to do with Darcy being your cousin?”

 

 

Bruce was in shock.  _What a strange day_.  It just sounded like Tony said Darcy was Thor’s cousin.  _The world just flipped upside down_.  “What?”

“Stark,” Thor was loud, “She would not have told you that.”  _That wasn’t a denial_.  Thor’s declaration stopped Tony from leaving. 

“Yeah, well, I pay attention to the people I care about.”  Tony now opted for one of the lounge chairs scattered about the open pool deck.

Tony’s words snapped Bruce out of his stupor.  “Stalk is more like it,” because Bruce paid attention.  Bruce had a hyperawareness of Darcy and he could not line up the pieces to make the jump to that conclusion.

Tony just shrugged, “Whatever gets the job done.  So, cousin?”  Tony looked right at Thor, “By one of Odin’s brothers?”

Thor responded quietly and with a slow nod, “That is the theory, yes.”

Tony continued, “And Odin?” 

“Requires proof.” 

Bruce did not like the dark undertones of that statement.  “What kind of proof?”

“A blood sample should suffice,” though Thor did not sound convinced.  “She is far removed from the line of succession.  Her relation is distant at best.” 

“But you already have proof?” was Tony’s not-a-question.

“True, I engaged a laboratory in England to run the tests.  You call it DNA?  The samples were not labelled with our true names.”  Thor kept his tone even while relaying the information.

Bruce had to sit down.  It was hitting him all at once; his girlfriend was related, by blood, to Thor - Prince of Asgard.  But a thought caught him, “So what about the rest of her family?”

Tony pointed to Bruce, “Yeah, what he said?”

“The traits of relations are pronounced in her.  If other members of her family show similar traits, I’ll revisit the issue.”

Now, Bruce was confused, “What issue?”

“Darcy is my cousin.  And I have the right to concern myself with her safety.”  Thor was looking directly at him, staring really.  “So, I say again, Dr. Banner, you look remarkably calm.”

 

 

Realization struck Tony speechless.  Thor’s concern for Darcy’s safety lay with the Hulk, Bruce’s massively violent alter ego.  Tony was both horrified that Thor didn’t trust Banner, but also understood the scrutiny considering Bruce’s behavior over the past couple of weeks.  Tony was still trying to reconcile his own mixed feelings over the situation when Bruce spoke.

“I hadn’t realized that my trouble had been so apparent.”  Banner moved to take a seat at the covered bar.  He made no move to run, just settled in for the conversation.  Tony couldn’t help but notice how tired his friend looked all of a sudden. 

 

Over the next few hours, Tony spent time listening to Banner recount nearly everything he went through since his arrival to The Tower.  _Since when did he pickup calling it that?  Note to Self:  Blamed Darcy for it_.  A lot of it, Tony had already guessed.  As much as Tony hadn’t wanted to spy on Banner, he’d decided after Darcy’s first week here to keep an eye on her. 

Darcy was an enigma.  She was a hacker who didn’t believe in stealing.  For as much music as she owned, for as many movies as she downloaded, Darcy had paid for all of it. 

At age 17, she was caught by the NSA for hacking one of Tony’s competitor’s.  It wasn’t for fun, profit, or bragging rights so much as it was to find her friend’s deadbeat dad’s payroll history.  Tony had seen the transcriptions of the interviews, as well as some of the video; in exchange for Darcy’s full cooperation, the friend would have access to the evidence.  Her backup plan was an online dead-man’s switch that would email the documents to several news sources and the company’s primary competitors.  _Potts would’ve had a field day with that info_. 

Tony’s personal favorite stories about Darcy had come from Barton.  Drinking games aside, Darcy had managed to endear herself, and through her – Jane, to every foot soldier SHIELD had in its ranks.  Tony was sure that Darcy didn’t know how many men were scared off by SHIELD agents just while she’s been here in New York.  Guess it was a minor miracle that Bruce wasn’t runoff.

The fact that SHIELD was forced to play nice with the NSA in order for Darcy to make a return visit to their virus compromised facility had Tony laughing for days.  Barton left out the particulars, but knowing that Darcy got to name a few terms for the subsequent visits was reason to start snickering every time Sitwell showed up.  _Dammit, Phil_.

Tony had to shake off the sudden melancholy.  “So, Hulk – and you’re good calling him Hulk now? – was the one who spurred this sudden calm?”

The perplexed look and shrugged shoulders spoke volumes for Bruce, “I don’t get it either.”

 

 

Elsewhere in the building…

 

“DARCY!” 

Darcy cringed at Jane’s shriek.  “What Jane?”

“WHY IS IT SO HUMID IN THE LOCKER ROOM?”

Darcy skipped a beat before answering, “Because, we got _distracted_.”

Jane stormed out of the locker room still wiping her hands dry with a paper towel.  “God dammit, Darcy!  I didn’t need _that_ image in my head, thank you.”

In a whisper, Darcy retorted with, “Just remember that the next time you tell Thor where to put your leg,” before turning her attention back to her computer.

A few minutes later, Jane returned throwing a purse and bag at Darcy while tossing her own tote over her shoulder.  “Come on,” Jane called out while making for the elevators.

“Jane,” Darcy pushed away from her desk, “You might not be aware, but I’ve got work I’ve got to get done.”  She stood up and made to follow Jane anyway.

Jane abruptly turned around to ask Darcy, “Where are they?”

Darcy paused in her walking.  She searched her mind for the answer.  It came, “Thor’s on the roof.”  Jane turned to rush the elevator again followed by Darcy.  After Jane pushed the call button, Darcy said, “You know, they might not be done talking.”

Jane inhaled deeply, “You sound scared.”

Without looking at Jane, Darcy’s eyebrows raised, “Fuck yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I might need to add a "feelings" tag to this story.
> 
> No good way to get around some of underlining emotions to get to the fun stuff (read: sexy/happy times).


	10. Even More Epiphanies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce learns a lot about Darcy and realizes how much it weighs on her.
> 
> Pepper had a bad day and a bad meeting.
> 
> Thor and Darcy come clean with a few secrets.

A tall, strawberry-blonde woman stood still in an elevator relaxing in the only quiet spot afforded her in the whole of the building.  Jarvis was even good enough to silence that infernal music that gets piped in during business hours.  The lean-muscled, long-legged woman in the killer heels wondered at the feasibility of hitting the stop button and taking a power nap right there in the elevator before meeting Tony in the penthouse and landing in whatever mess he has gotten into today.

It’s a quiet Tuesday with nothing on Tony’s itinerary so some sort of chaos must have just landed on the roof for Tony to step in blindly.  Pepper, out of ingrained habit, took several deep, calming breaths and allowed her pulse to settle down.

Virginia “Pepper” Potts had had a bad day at work.  A new article about Stark Industry’s latest technological advances was being edited for release in the next addition of _Wired_.  The _New Yorker_ was running a three-part exposé about SI’s top tier managers, herself included.  Several programmers were in the middle of a dispute about software updates.  One of the smaller smart-phone application companies was trying to back out of being bought out.  And Stark Tower may or may not be having a security issue.  _Sweaty workmen in private elevators aside_.

All of this, by itself, could have been fine except that she was currently having a staffing problem too.  Kristin, her primary assistant and her main source of sanity, was eight-plus months pregnant and going to drop – what Pepper was sure to be the cutest little girl ever – any day now.  One of the three interns working under Kristin decided to just up and quit.  A second intern, Kasi, has been out for a three days (Kasi had been sent home early last Wednesday) with the flu and will be out for at least another two.  The third intern, Rachel, has been coming in early and staying late since Kasi’s brother brought in her doctor’s note explaining about the flu.  And, _oh, by the way_ , Pepper has not been able to locate _but one_ viable candidate to takeover for Kristin, even temporarily, when she goes on maternity leave.  _And she’d never take the job!_

Pepper was coming up from the secure conference room on the 12th Floor where her building security meeting had been held.  The SHIELD detail for the 66th Floor had, once again, been purposely left out of the meeting by SI’s top security brass, Emmanuel Summers.  Stark Tower Security, separate subdivision of Stark Industry’s Security, had attempted to include the operatives.  When Pepper arrived for the meeting, a shouting match had already been in progress. 

 

“Those agents contribute to the security of this building.  They should be represented here.”  Jon Matthews, head of Stark Tower Security, was on Pepper’s left sitting halfway down one long-side of the conference table when she walked in.

“Those yahoos aren’t even _actually_ assigned here.”  Summers was sitting in a chair at the head of the long conference table, leaned back and feet up, on Pepper’s right.  “No SHIELD agents are _officially_ assigned to this building.  Why the 66 th Floor should receive special treatment still confuses me.” 

Pepper had been aware that Emmanuel Summers was a stuck-up, arrogant prick, but he was good at his job.  _Well, up until now_.

“Excuse me gentlemen,” Pepper’s entrance caused both men to rise up out of their seats, “Am I in the correct meeting?”

Summers conceded the head chair to Pepper when she walked over to take her proper place.  He did, however, sit down directly to next to her when she reached _the big chair_.  Thereby forcing Matthews to reposition himself or be left yelling at Pepper from his original distance.  This was not the first meeting where Pepper noticed this particular dominate behavior from Summers.  She was really beginning to hate the man.

The meeting ended up being a wash.  Nothing important or new was brought to Pepper’s attention.  Every time Matthews brought up some analysis report, Summers would override him stating the analysis was from an outside source and therefore, not valid.  The bottom line of the meeting; Summers was happy with the building’s current security protocols and Matthews was not.

 

Pepper had become curious about this analysis report written by the SHIELD agents that Matthews kept alluding to during the meeting.  Since the 66th Floor was very obviously on her way up to the penthouse, Jarvis was going to pause the elevator at the lab so Pepper could see about getting her own copy the report.

After the elevator dinged announcing its arrival to the 66th Floor and the doors opened, Pepper was just dazed enough for it to take her a moment to realize that two people were standing there, blocking her path to the SHIELD security desk.  With a shake of her head, Pepper was back in the world.

“Wow, it’s been long day.”  Pepper commented.

“You look like you could use a beer.”  Jane’s comment caused both Pepper and Darcy to look at her pointedly, “What?!”

“Oh, – my – God.  Who are you?  And what have you done with Jane?”  Darcy’s questions got Pepper to nod in agreement.

Pepper noticed Jane huff before turning to Darcy, “Thor ran off with your boy-toy when I was looking forward to some cuddle time on the observation couch this afternoon.”

Pepper’s ear twitched when she caught the sound of one of the SHIELD agents hitting his head with the tablet.  _So, it’s been that kind of day.  Luckies!_

Darcy’s face was slowly turning a lovely shade of pink.  “That’s a rather presumptuous statement to be making.”

“Not really,” commented Pepper.  The fact that Bruce was completely lost on Darcy had been amusing Pepper for weeks.  “I think Bruce would have an issue with being characterized as a ‘boy’ though.”

Jane tried again.  “Delectable little tid bit?”

Darcy squinted at Jane before responding with, “Woman, you have size issues.”

“Ladies, may I get out?”

“Oh, Pepper.  I’m so sorry.”  Jane said as she and Darcy moved out of her way.

“No problem.  Just hold the elevator for me, please.  I won’t be but a moment.”  Pepper, once free of the small car, bee-lined it straight for Steven.

 

Steven promised to email Pepper the report Matthews cited in her waste-of-time security meeting along with a few other reports.  Since Steven was proving to be a competent leader (she had had several talks with all of the detail’s members and managed to finagle Steven’s most recent evaluation from SHIELD), Pepper promised to look over any report Steven deemed important.

When she joined Jane and Darcy in the elevator she asked, “Do either of you feel like a drink?”

The question, not a normal one for Pepper, drew two sets of eyes to look at her as the doors closed and the lift continued its ascent.

“Fuck, yes.”  Jane responded causing both Darcy and Pepper to shift their stares to her.  “What?”

“Okay, ladies,” Pepper so needed some down time, “let’s get silly.”  _Tony can fend for himself for one evening_.  Besides, it’s not like he wasn’t enjoy some testosterone time with his new playmates.

“Ah,” Darcy started in slowly, “I need to locate Bruce and go hide with him in a dark corner for a while.”

“Can’t we do both?” Jane responded.

Pepper gave Darcy a quick elbow, “So Thor, a good influence?”

“I’d hate to see what a _bad_ influence on her would be, that’s for damn sure,” responded Darcy.

 

Bruce spied Thor becoming fidgety.  The man, god like warrior that he was, had stood like a statue near the electronic curtain’s control panel for the entire length of their conversation.  But for the last five minutes he has been shifting back and forth from one foot to the other.  Tony was just getting off the phone.  He had been ordering food in large quantities from the Italian joint two streets down.  But even Tony noticed Thor’s restlessness. 

Thankfully, Thor decided to give up the ghost, “Darcy’s on her way up.”

That only brought up more questions, again.

“A cousin thing?” asked Tony pretending to be only mildly curious.

“Yes.”

“So, is telepathy a paternal trait then?” Bruce had been eager to ask, but kind of scared of the answer.

“Yes.”

Bruce and Tony exchanged brief glances before Tony asked, “And Loki?”

“Is a creature of magic regardless.”

“ _Regardless_ of what exactly?”  Thor’s caginess was beginning to get irritating.  Bruce had been forth coming with his own dilemma, _regardless of how embarrassing_. 

“There are two working theories,” Thor began. 

But before he got any further, Tony interrupted, “God damn it!  _Really?_ ”  His cynicism showing through his tone.

Tony really did not have to expound on that exclamation; Odin had two brothers, Ve and Vili.  And Bruce wondered if Asgardian royalty could have felt as entitled as the Greek and Roman gods so often did in mythology.  But he stayed quiet not wanting to insult his friend’s family.

Instead, Bruce asked “So, just to be clear, Darcy and your adopted lunatic of a brother have a slim chance of actually being related?”  And should Bruce be proud that he had tossed Darcy’s possible cousin around like a dish towel?  _Yep_. 

Suddenly, Bruce caught a familiar scent in the air and inhaled deeply as she approached from the penthouse.

Thor, having noticed Bruce’s behavior only said, “A very remote chance at a distant relation,” before the women came into view effectively ending the conversation.

Bruce turned in the direction of the approaching trio happy to see Darcy out in front and heading straight for him.  Before Bruce realized what he was doing, he was up and walking with a purpose.  He had her wrapped in his arms, head tucked into her neck, and taking long drafts of her scent before anyone could comment about the evening’s agenda.  Bruce’s hyperawareness of Darcy allowed him to notice how she relaxed after wrapping her own arms around his neck.  He pulled back just enough to come forehead to forehead with his girlfriend.

“We should probably talk,” Bruce tried to keep his voice low and soothing.  It was going to be bad enough when Darcy realized that Tony was also _in the know_.  And he would bet good money that Pepper was too.  The information would be just as safe in either case.  Tony for all his talk cared deeply about _his_ people (possibly read: family) and could be extremely protective, practical jokes notwithstanding.  And Pepper was trustworthy to a fault. 

Darcy smiled warmly and commented, “Jane’s got her heart set on getting drunk.  And Pepper’s trying for a girl’s night.”

Bruce started moving them toward the elevators.  Looking directly at Pepper, Bruce said with a smile, “I’m steeling her for a couple hours,” then paused in reflection.  “You _might_ get her back later.”  But did not look back after passing Pepper and Jane. 

 

 

Tony watched as Pepper began to pout.  _She was so cute looking like that_.  But he was up and catching her hands in his own before his girlfriend could get any momentum.  “They really _do_ have a lot to talk about,” he said while coxing her to the now empty wet bar.

Tony caught Pepper’s look before she asked, “So, he knows about the NSA thing?”  Tony thought it was adorable how Pepper made that information sound so grave.

Tony gave a nod before continuing, “And,” Tony bit his bottom lip expectantly.

Pepper’s eyes went wide, “And the cousin thing?”  She spoke quietly and low, but her words still caught Thor and Jane’s attention.

If the change in Thor and Jane’s demeanor were any indicators – Thor’s muscles rippled and he looked about ready to call his Mjolnir and Jane pulled herself up to her full height and clenched both fits at her sides – now was an excellent time to come clean.

Tony turned to Thor, “This is all _your_ fault really.”

It was a pity that there wasn’t a camera trained on Thor right now.  The Asgardian’s expression shifted from one on the verge of storming a castle to one of _what the fuck._   And Jane’s pretty much matched.  _Talk about adorable_.  Pepper just groaned but didn’t make any attempt to stop Tony’s effort to turn the tables on Thor.

Still looking at Thor, Tony began, “You expressed an interest to Phil in keeping Jane, and by extension Darcy, safe.”  _Fact one_.

“Since Phil is no longer able to carry out that courtesy, I picked up the slack _.”  And yes, invoking Phil was slightly underhanded, but whatever.  Fact two_.

“The lab invoice was paid by a lab account Darcy had setup.”  _Fact three_.  “And _that_ was cause enough to hack the lab database – a lab that specializes in blood and DNA analysis.”

At this point, Tony decided to look at Jane.  “I also made sure that the lab “lost” their findings after the results were mailed out.”  Tony felt quite pleased with himself for his efforts.  “No point in leaving proof of alien procreation with humans lying around in some digital file, now, was there?”

Jane rolled her eyes.  “Tony there’s no reason for being an asshat,” she said as she strutted up to the bar and leaned over it.  “So, whatcha got stocked out here anyway?  And is this curtain thing on?  Cause if it is, then how do we receive calls?”

 _Damn it._   “We were supposed to leave our phones on the table, outside the coverage of the curtain.”  Tony got up and left the curtain area to deposit his phone on the table when a text alert from Darcy came through, then another, then another – three in all.

_Taking Bruce to your lab to show him that 3D thingy._

_I’m asking nicely; don’t ask Jarvis to show you the lab feeds._

_Forgiveness vs. permission; there is no forgiveness_.

Tony didn’t have anything to say about that.  So, he wrote, “ _Have fun you kids_ ,” and left his phone on the table.  When he got back, Pepper was behind the bar fixing herself and Jane margaritas.  _Must have had a bad day_ warred with _she’s so cute drunk, yeah_.

 

 

Darcy and Bruce were in the elevator riding down to Tony’s lab.  Darcy’s decision to show Bruce certain heavenly bodies was pure instinct.  But the trip down had to be made in silence on the subject because the microphones were always on and the system was not Jarvis secure and completely hackable.  She had proven it a couple times now.

The ride was short and Jarvis admitted the pair without delay.  As soon as the door closed and locked Darcy spoke, “Jarvis, please bring up 3D rendering of the universe to scale that includes Earth and Asgard.”

“Yes, Miss.” While Jarvis spoke the rendering began to materialize and organize itself to Darcy’s specifications.  “Dr. Banner, it is good to have you back in the lab.  I have missed how you seem to be able to decrease Master Stark’s explosive potential.”

Bruce’s face lightened a bit, “Thanks Jarvis.  But I don’t think he’d be near as productive if I came to work here.”

Darcy just turned to the nearest “eye” piece, “Flatter.”

Darcy watched the 3D image settle before looking to Bruce for his reaction.  He was in awe of what he was seeing.  Near enough to the expression Darcy wore after she had surrendered Jane’s Location Accuracy Test data to Tony and the data was processed and projected the first time.  She waited until Bruce came back to himself before speaking again.

“It was Jane that figured it out,” Darcy began.  “While we were in New Mexico she would just voice the question, ‘Where’s Thor now?’ at random times and I would point to the sky, or across the horizon, or I would just shake my head because he wouldn’t be visible in our sky.  I hadn’t realized it at the time, but she’d start taking note of where I was pointing.”  Darcy sighed.  She hadn’t talked about this in forever.

“Then, one day, in the middle of the parking lot, after she asked me and I pointed somewhere in the sky, she began writing downing GPS coordinates off of her phone, then dropped a protractor gismo to measure the angle my arm was at, and took an angle from True North.  She had a three-dimensional vector in radii.”

Bruce cocked his head to one side.

“Bruce, I’ve worked for an astrophysicist for a couple years now.  And she is not my first Mad Scientist project either.”

“Yeah, that’s something else I’d like to discuss sometime.”  Bruce looked cautious about approaching the subject.

“No problem; just later, okay?”  Darcy asked.  “Jarvis, pin point Asgard and Earth for us, please.”

Jarvis materialized two brightly colored arrows pointing to different areas on opposite sides of the shown universe.  The rendering had gaps of blackness, some from Earth’s lack of ability to see it and others because there was truly nothing there.

Due to the shear amount of vast space between Earth and Asgard, there really was not any way to actually see either Earth or Asgard.  You just had to take Jarvis’s word (read:  Jane’s math) for it.

“Jarvis, how clear of a picture of the Asgardian system can you give us?”  Bruce was as curious as Darcy the first time.  She had asked that very question of Jarvis and Tony before Jane had shown up.

“I’m afraid, not very clear at all Dr. Banner.  The distance is great and there are several obstacles that hide the system from our view.”  Jarvis, for all his being an AI, managed to sound sincerely disappointed in his lack of information.

Bruce turned to Darcy, “Do we have any actual conformation that this is where Asgard is?”

“Yeah, Tony showed Thor the rendering the first couple days they were here.”  Darcy was very proud of Jane’s work.  “And if he weren’t amply impressed by Jane’s brain before, seeing this model made him fall in love with her all over again.  I think the words ‘cleverest in the realm’ may have been spoken.”  _Much to Tony's chagrin_. 

“But, Jane was able to extrapolate the area by you pointing out his location in the sky?”  Bruce just looked shocked and amused by this revelation. 

Darcy started slowly, “Yeah.  Until she got a solid location, which took about three months, she would just randomly ask about Thor.  Then, once a system for taking accurate GPS coordinates and degree measurements was knocked out, Jane was able to get a magnitude of vectors in a short amount of time.”

“But only over a three month period?”  Bruce asked.  Darcy could see the question behind Bruce’s eyes.

“Three months is still one-quarter of the path Earth travels around the Sun.”  Darcy looked down at her feet.  She could not look at Bruce for this next part.  “Thor started traveling to other ‘realms’ after that.  Not to mention his unannounced stopover, here on Earth, to fight Loki.”

When Darcy looked up she saw softness and understanding on Bruce’s face.

 

 

“You knew Thor came back.”  Bruce knew this to be true.  He was not asking.

“His location didn’t make any sense.  First, he was in Europe somewhere, but not for very long.  Then he was _in the sky_ just kind of hovering for hours.  Then, poof, he’s in New York and the battle was being broadcasted on TV in High Def.”  Darcy’s voice was a little pitched and her tone a bit frantic.  “I couldn’t tell anyone!  And Tony didn’t ask where the epic amount of information came from that converge at this point in space,” Darcy pointed to the arrow’s tip for Asgard.  “For a while, it seemed he just chalked the accurate rendering up to astro-math.  But now I’m thinking he was just _not_ asking questions because he knew something that he’s not supposed to know.”  She was looking at Bruce for some kind of conformation.

Bruce was not going to hold her in suspense.  By his estimations, Darcy was holding so many secrets that she was beginning to be weighed down by it all. 

“Tony was the first person to mention the word ‘cousin’ in a sentence.  Thor did _not_ deny it.”

Darcy smiled and went back to looking at the rendering of the universe.  Bruce made a decision; if Darcy did not bring it up, if Thor did not want it mentioned to her (he’d have to check with Thor on that score), then Bruce would not bring up Loki or the possibility of her being related to him.  After several minutes Bruce began remembering the food Tony had ordered; not difficult, his stomach was growling. 

Bruce walked over and hugged Darcy before asking, “So, more talk or more _distraction_?”

Bruce felt Darcy smile into his neck.  “Well, your stomach is saying ‘feed me’ and I’m about talked out for the day.”

“Good, distraction.”  Bruce began pulling Darcy, still half held in a hug, back toward the elevator.

After the pair entered the elevator, Darcy pushed “62” on the panel.  Bruce looked at her.  He had thought that his apartment, which they had been using the past couple nights, was the optimal destination.

Darcy smiled as she was able to read his face, “I’ve got food in my fridge.  Can you say the same?”

Bruce inhaled Darcy scent, and then exhaled, “Nope. So, telepahy?"

Darcy answered right away, "That's Thor's trick."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Smut to follow, promise.
> 
> So, Darcy can locate Thor anywhere. And Thor can thought project (one-way) to Darcy. And these are family treats. I hope this answer a few questions. And I'm not going anywhere near Loki and those questions for a while. (Too many current plot bunnies and college papers to write.)
> 
> Natasha comes home to The Tower in like two-ish chapters (though her plot bunnies aren't leaving me alone). I'd like to get another smut chapter in before she arrives.


End file.
